COLyMB.AUBJjAR.|SOF^|.TE 


^^H^erT'HSCENCES 


Rj^oeH^fSr--*"  "ic^w  TO    Fe 


Children 

By  Louise  E.  Hogan 


i*mm'mmHmmtmmmm§9*mn^x»m»» 


■RJZOG         HG7Z 

ColuntMa  ®nitmilp  1 83G 
mtlieCtlpoflfttigdrk 

College  of  J^fjpfiiicians!  anb  ^urgeonfii 
Hihvavp 


Qri:F-bof 


Dt.  Jerome P  Webster 


/"  ^ 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Open  Knowledge  Commons 


http://www.archive.org/details/howtofeedchildreOOhoga 


T 


HOW  TO  FEED  CHILDREN 


/f^ 


A  MANUAL  FOR  MOTHERS,  NURSES, 
AND  PHYSICIANS 


BY 


LOUISE  E.  HOGAN 


THIRD   EDITION 


PHILADELPHIA 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 
1899 


liuz 


Copyright,  1896, 

BY 

J.  B.  LippixcoTT  Company. 


Electrotypeo  and  Printed  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia,  U.S.A. 


PEEFAOE, 


The  substance  of  a  number  of  papers  that  have 
appeared  during  the  last  two  years  in  various  journals  * 
has  been  embodied  in  this  book  upon  the  request  of 
members  of  the  medical  profession,  mothers,  and  others 
interested  in  children.  These  articles  have  been  care- 
fully revised,  and  much  additional  material  has  been 
used.  All  statements  made  are  based  upon  facts  ac- 
cepted very  generally  by  scientists  and  physicians  both 
here  and  abroad,  where  the  greatest  amount  of  original 
research  has  been  made,  and  authority  for  these  facts, 
when  not  credited  in  the  text,  may  be  found  in  the 
works  of  the  following  writers,  which  have  been  studied 
very  carefully,  in  connection  with  much  other  reading 
relative  to  the  subject:  "Pediatrics,"  T.  M.  Rotch, 
M.D. ;  "  Infant  Diet"  and  "  Therapeutics  of  Infancy 
and  Childhood,"  A.  Jacobi,  M.D. ;  "  Food  in  Health 
and  Disease,"  I.  Burney  Yeo,  M.D.,  F.R.C.P. ;  "Diet 
after  Weaning"  (Keating's  "  Cyclopaedia"),  by  Samuel 
S.  Adams,  A.M.,  M.D. ;  "The  Mother's  Work  with 
Sick  Children,"  Professor  J.  B.  Fonssagrives ;  "  Prac- 
tical Dietetics,"  W.  Gilman  Thompson,  M.D. 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  ofPer  in  a  practical 
form  a  few  suggestions  concerning  the  application  of 

*  Popular  Science  Monthly,  Lippincott's,  Babyliood,  etc. 

1*  5 


6  PREFACE. 

the  principles  of  dietetics  to  feeding  in  the  nursery  and 
throughout  the  period  of  childhood. 

It  is  also  hoped  that  the  book  will  meet  the  require- 
ments of  practitioners,  who  rarely  have  the  time  to 
direct  in  detail  the  management  of  children's  diet.  It 
is  not  the  intention  of  the  author  to  advise  where  a  phy- 
sician is  needed,  but  rather  to  suggest  to  the  mother  or 
nurse  when  he  should  be  sent  for,  and  how  he  may  be 
aided  in  his  eiSbrts  by  the  exercise  of  intelligence  and 
judgment  in  the  selection  and  preparation  of  foods 
indicated  for  various  ages  and  varying  conditions  of 
illness  and  convalescence.  Owing  to  differences  of 
temperament  and  constitution,  each  case  needs  indi- 
vidualization :  hence,  when  there  is  the  least  doubt, 
even  in  conditions  of  health,  a  physician  should  be 
consulted  without  delay.  In  the  hope,  therefore,  that 
when  a  physician  is*  available  the  counsel  given  will 
be  explicitly  followed,  this  little  book  is  earnestly  com- 
mended to  mothers  and  those  in  charge  of  children,  as 
well  as  to  physicians  who  may  wish  to  be  relieved  of 
the  tediousness  of  making  specific  the  general  laws 
regulating  dietetic  practice. 

The  author  is  deeply  mdebted  to  T.  M.  Rotch,  M.D., 
Boston,  for  the  use  of  his  book  "  Pediatrics,"  and  to 
Samuel  S.  Adams,  M.D.,  Washington,  Leroy  M.  Yale, 
M.D.,  New  York,  and  Edgar  Dubs  Shimer,  Ph.D., 
Professor  of  Psychology,  New  York  University,  for 
suggestions  and  assistance  in  revision  of  manuscript 
and  proof. 

Louise  E.  Hogan. 

Philadelphia,  April,  1896. 


COJSTTENTS. 


OHAPTEK    I. 

PAGE 

Reasons  why  Mothers  should  study  Dietetics     ....        9 

CHAPTEK    II. 
Infant  Feeding 19 

CHAPTER    III. 
Cereals,  Bread,  Crackers,  and  Cake 56 

CHAPTER    IV. 
Broths  and  Soups 67 

CHAPTER    V. 
Meats,  Eggs,   Fish,  Oysters,  etc 74 

CHAPTER    VI. 
Inorganic  Salts,  Vegetables,  Fruits,  etc 85 

CHAPTER    VII. 
Laxative  Foods         106 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
Nursery  Desserts      113 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Summer  Diet 119 

7 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEK    X. 

PAGE 

Travelling  Outfits  and  Precautions 133 

CHAPTER    XL 
Fat  in  Food 141 

CHAPTER    XII. 
Diet  for  the  Approach  of  Cool  Weather 146 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
Nursery  Dietaries  and  Menus 152 

CHAPTER    XI Y. 
Diet  in  Illness 179 

CHAPTEE    XY. 
Diet  for  School-Children 190 

CHAPTER    XYI. 
Recipes 200 


HOW  TO  FEED  CHILDREN. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Reasons  why  Mothers  should  study  Dietetics. 

The  study  of  dietetics  as  applied  to  the  nursery 
and  the  period  of  childhood  is  constantly  brought  to 
the  notice  of  mothers.  A  practical  application  of 
theory  to  individual  needs  is  of  great  importance 
whatever  system  of  feeding  is  decided  upon.  The 
usual  hap-hazard  method  is  founded  on  ignorance. 
Some  knowledge  of  the  physiology  of  digestion  is 
necessary  to  select  the  foods  that  are  suitable  for  the 
requirements  of  infants  and  growing  children.  All 
parents  should  understaud  that  the  rearing  of  a  child 
is  fraught  with  great  responsibility,  which  it  is  crim- 
inal to  avoid.  It  is  too  frequently  the  custom  among 
adults  to  think  that  what  is  provided  for  themselves 
in  the  way  of  food  may  be  given  with  impunity  to 
children.  They  forget  that  the  food  an  adult  can  re- 
ceive and  assimilate  does  harm  to  the  tender  organs 
of  a  child, — organs  that  depend  very  largely  for  their 
development  upon  a  proper  selection  and  administra- 
tion of  assimilable  foods.  Carelessness  and  ignorance 
at  this  period  of  life  are  quickly  followed  by  perni- 
cious results.     The  treatment  of  almost  all  diseases  of 

the  digestive  organs  in  children  requires  the  special 

9 


10  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

study  of  foods  and  of  hygiene,  and  many  of  them 
may  be  ayoided  by  care  in  this  direction.  Any  mother 
who  will  study  the  nature  of  food  products,  whether 
nitrogenous,  carbonaceous,  or  mineral,  their  proj)or- 
tions  of  waste  and  water,  those  needed  to  build  tissue, 
furnish  heat,  purify  the  blood,  etc.,  will  comprehend 
at  once  the  value  of  dietetic  knowledge  in  the  selection 
and  preparation  of  wholesome  food  for  her  family. 
This  knowledge  is  the  foundation  of  sound  practical 
dietetics  (Burnet),  and  the  subject  is  one  of  universal 
importance.  A  nourishing  diet  must  be  supplied 
during  the  entire  season  of  youth,  and  at  the  same 
time  be  supplemented  by  favorable  hygienic  surround- 
ings and  by  plenty  of  exercise  of  various  kinds  to  call 
every  set  of  muscles  into  play ;  want  of  sufficient  exer- 
cise diminishes  tissue-change.  During  this  early  period 
of  life  larger  supplies  of  certain  food  elements  are 
required  than  in  adult  life,  when  physical  growth  has 
ceased  and  bodily  activity  has  grown  less.  It  must 
also  be  understood  that  under  various  conditions  in 
the  life  of  the  same  child  diflPerent  foods  and  quantities 
will  be  required.  The  diet  must  be  adapted  to  the 
power  of  the  constitution  at  the  time,  and  it  must  be 
of  the  highest  nutritive  value  possible  for  present 
digestiye  power.  If  the  child's  digestion  is  normal, 
and  its  life  an  active  and  out-of-door  one,  it  can  as- 
similate more  and  stronger  food  than  if,  from  variations 
in  climate  and  other  causes,  it  leads  a  more  quiet  life ; 
and  if  for  any  reason  its  digestion  is  not  up  to  its 
normal  standard,  consideration  must  be  given  particu- 
larly to  quantity.  It  must  be  remembered  that  through 
repair  eating  is  intended  to  balance,  not  to  increase, 


WHY  MOTHERS  SHOULD  STUDY  DIETETICS.      11 

the  waste  caused  by  the  constant  action  and  change 
going  on  in  the  organs.  This  waste,  if  not  fully  coun- 
terbalanced, will  soon  cause  suffering  and  illness,  but 
the  mistake  so  constantly  met  with  of  overfeeding 
must  be  absolutely  avoided.  A  well-balanced  diet 
must  have  the  right  ratio  of  protein,  fats,  and  carbo- 
hydrates ;  enough  proteids  (eggs,  milk,  meat,  etc.)  must 
be  given  for  the  building  of  tissue,  and  enough  of  the 
other  constituents  of  food  to  give  energy,  to  keep  the 
body  warm  and  to  enable  it  to  do  its  work.  The 
amount  of  nutrition  required  in  every  instance  must 
be  carefully  considered.  One  of  the  most  important 
reasons  for  this  is  that  energy  must  not  be  wasted  in 
getting  rid  of  superfluous  material,  as  organic  disease 
may  result.  A  little  food  thoroughly  digested  is  far 
better  than  much  that  is  half  digested. 

It  is  always  necessary  to  understand  how  to  supply 
as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  materials  that  the  body 
is  regularly  losing,  as,  for  instance,  when  we  give  heat- 
forming  food  in  cold  weather  and  liquid  in  hot  weather. 
Drink  constitutes  food  as  well  as  what  we  eat.  As  each 
nutritive  ingredient  serves  its  own  peculiar  purpose,  it 
can  readily  be  seen  why  it  is  necessary  for  a  mother  to 
understand  something  of  the  elements  of  food  and  their 
action. 

She  should  also  be  able  to  detect  immediate  needs 
in  individual  cases,  as,  on  account  of  proximity,  she  is 
generally  the  only  one  who  notices  the  daily  variations 
in  conditions  requiring  daily  modifications  of  diet. 
Whilst  a  mother  need  not  actually  cook  the  food  re- 
quired, she  should  know  just  what  to  select  under 
certain  conditions,  and  exactly  how  to  have  it  prepared. 


12  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

Further,  she  should  not  only  be  able  to  note  by  results 
that  her  directions  have  been  carried  out^  but  also  be 
willing,  if  necessary,  to  see  to  it  personally  that  this  is 
done.  A  little  supervision,  judiciously  applied,  will 
frequently  prevent  difficulties  that  are  likely  to  occur 
as  a  result  of  carelessness  upon  the  part  of  servants. 

She  should  understand  the  changes  needed  in  health, 
illness,  and  intermediary  stages.  In  illness,  this  knowl- 
edge would  allow  her  ably  to  supplement  the  efforts  of 
the  physician,  and  in  cases  of  slight  indisposition  she 
would  frequently  seize  the  opportunity  for  overcoming 
ailments  which,  uncared  for,  might  prove  serious.  For 
instance,  if  she  recognized  the  fact  that  the  eliminative 
processes  were  hampered,  she  would  cut  down  albu- 
minoids :  thus,  in  cases  of  constipation  the  supply 
of  fruit,  vegetables,  cereals,  etc.,  would  be  relatively 
greater  in  menus  than  that  of  milk,  eggs,  meat,  etc. 
(proteids).  Again,  as  the  preparation,  intervals,  and 
amounts  in  feeding  children  are  of  equal  importance, 
she  would  know  that  with  ailing  children  she  must 
feed  more  frequently  and  less  at  a  time ;  that  the 
food  must  be  more  damtily  prepared  and  be  more  as- 
similable than  that  required  in  health ;  and  she  would, 
consequently,  pay  particular  attention  to  these  require- 
ments. In  cases  of  illness  she  would  realize  that 
success  in  treatment  depends  very  largely  upon  the 
trouble  taken  in  the  combination  and  preparation  of 
the  foods  that  are  allowable,  so  as  to  give  as  varied  a 
diet  as  the  necessary  limitations  will  permit.  Tem- 
perament would  be  considered,  and  tastes  and  likings 
consulted,  all  of  which  are  of  great  importance  in  the 
digestion  of  food.     ISTaturally  following  as  a  result  of 


WHF  MOTHERS  SHOULD  STUDY  DIETETICS      13 

such  study,  the  fact  would  be  discovered  that  more 
liquid  food  should  be  used  than  is  common,  and  less 
solid.  The  giving  of  water  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant features  in  infant  feeding.  Many  conditions 
require  it,  and  it  is  healthful  at  all  times,  unless  in 
rare  stages  of  illness,  when  it  might  be  forbidden  by 
medical  authority.  It  is  not  unusual  to  deprive  in- 
fants almost  entirely  of  water  because  they  drink  milk. 
The  fact  is  overlooked  that  milk,  though  a  liquid  out 
of  the  body,  becomes  in  the  stomach  a  solid  food 
containing  all  the  nutriment  required  for  an  infant's 
normal  growth.  Irregular  action  of  natural  laws  is 
not  infrequently  a  result  of  this  deprivation,  and  can 
easily  be  corrected  by  the  use  of  what  appears  to  many 
to  be  an  excess  of  water. 

Among  the  uneducated,  strong  in  the  old  theory  of 
teething  being  the  necessary  cause,  it  is  a  very  common 
custom  to  look  tolerantly  upon  serious  infantile  ail- 
ments. "  Errors  in  diet,  and  consequent  disorders  of 
digestion,  which  frequently  give  rise  to  violent  con- 
vulsions in  infancy,  would  occur  less  frequently  if,"  as 
has  been  aptly  said  by  a  physician,  "  for  ^  teething'  we 
would  read  '  stomach  and  feeding,'  and  if  we  would 
always  consider  whether  these  are  at  fault,  we  might, 
although  proving  disagreeable  and  troublesome  at 
times  to  the  mothers  and  nurses,  do  more  good  to  the 
suffering  infants." 

If  food  is  not  such  as  the  digestion  can  master,  it  is 
useless  and  can  only  do  harm.  Not  being  turned  to 
proper  account,  the  blood  receives  no  new  supply,  and 
is  impoverished  ;  there  is  no  nourishment  given  for  de- 
velopment of  body,  and  inherited  tendencies  to  various 

2 


14  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

diseases  are  encouraged  by  those  whose  duty  it  is  to 
provide  food  of  nutritious  quality  and  to  see  that  it 
is  carefully  administered.  Many  of  the  diseases  to 
which  children  are  liable  would  disaj^pear  under  strict 
supervision  of  hygiene  and  diet,  especially  the  various 
intestinal  disorders,  incladmg  many  resultant  throat, 
catarrhal,  and  nervous  troubles.  ^N^ature  resents  care- 
lessness, and  is  relentless  in  her  punishments.  What 
the  doctor  calls  cholera  infantum,  rickets,  or  marasmus, 
etc.,  and  the  mother  is  inclined  to  consider  a  dispensa- 
tion of  Providence,  is  only  too  frequently  the  direct 
result  of  violations  of  the  most  common  laws  of 
domestic  science. 

This  problem  is  always  before  the  physician.  Food 
and  hygiene  have  entered  so  largely  into  the  study  of 
medicine  that  preventive  medicine  has  become  one  of 
the  features  of  the  day,  and  departments  for  this  study 
have  been,  and  are  being,  opened  in  the  most  promi- 
nent universities  in  all  countries.  The  truly  success- 
ful physician  is  he  who  carefLilly  studies  the  chemical 
properties  of  different  foods  and  their  application,  and 
who  not  only  understands  but  makes  use  of  this  knowl- 
edge in  his  practice.  Much  of  his  effort  may  be  wasted, 
however,  owing  to  lack  of  knowledge  upon  the  part  of 
those  directly  interested.  Directions  may  be  given  with 
precision,  but  the  untrained  mother  or  nurse  mil  fre- 
quently err  by  not  carrying  out  instructions  exactly 
as  given,  and  thus  oflen  retard  the  recovery  and  pos- 
sibly endanger  the  life  of  the  patient. 

The  whole  study  of  nursery  dietetics  appears  to  be 
a  vast  one,  yet  it  resolves  itself  into  a  few  simple  and 
generally  acknowledged  facts.    For  an  infant,  whatever 


WHY  MOTHERS  SHOULD  STUDY  DIETETICS.      15 

is  given  as  a  substitute  must  resemble  its  natural  food 
as  closely  as  possible.  That  this  can  be  done  has  been 
shown  by  expert  analyses,  and  this  fact  is  conceded  by 
all  leading  specialists  upon  the  subject. 

A  legal  enactment  in  France  prohibits  the  giving  of 
any  form  of  solid  food  to  infants  under  one  year  of 
age  without  the  authority  of  a  prescription  from  a 
qualified  medical  man.  The  employment  of  the  rub- 
ber tube  for  nursing-bottles  is  also  forbidden,  as  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  keep  it  clean.  The  passage  of 
this  law  is  due  in  great  measure  to  the  efforts  of  the 
Society  for  the  Protection  of  Children,  of  which  Dr. 
Bouchard  is  founder.  The  United  States  Department 
of  Agriculture  at  Washington  has  also  taken  up  the 
matter  of  infant  foods  in  connection  with  reports  upon 
tuberculosis.  A  circular  is  issued  by  this  department, 
giving  simple  directions  for  the  treatment  by  heat 
necessary  to  make  milk  a  safe  food  for  infants.  The 
establishment  in  Boston,  in  1891,  and  later  in  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  of  the  Walker- Gordon  Milk 
Laboratories,  opened  a  new  field  in  the  province  of 
infant  feeding,  and  results,  as  stated  elsewhere,  show 
conclusively  the  advantages  that  have  been  gained  thus 
far.  These  and  similar  movements  are  important  and 
practical,  and  they  should  fully  demonstrate  to  the 
thinking  mother  the  necessity  for  her  study  in  this 
direction. 

Following  infancy  comes  the  more  difficult  period 
of  childhood,  although  not  usually  considered  so,  when 
necessary  supplies  of  nutriment  must  be  furnished  to 
repair  the  constant  waste  caused  by  the  active  growth 
of  the  child.     It  frequently  happens  that  a  plump, 


16  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

vigorous-looking  infant  develops  into  a  thin,  unhealtliy- 
looking  child.  It  is  at  this  time  that  the  constituents 
of  various  foods  for  practical  results  should  be  thor- 
oughly understood,  the  amounts  necessary  for  various 
periods  should  be  comprehended,  and  methods  of  ad- 
ministration and  preparation  should  be  closely  studied. 
No  amount  of  general  kaowledge  will  be  of  service  at 
this  period ;  special  study  is  required.  The  laws  of 
heat  and  change  of  tissue  by  applied  heat  must  be 
learned.  The  proper  proportion  of  albuminoids,  salts, 
starches,  and  sugar  must  be  considered  under  different 
conditions.  The  relation  of  fat  to  food  as  an  aid  to 
digestion,  under  what  conditions  to  use  it,  and  in  what 
form  and  quantity  to  apply  it,  whether  as  cream  or 
butter,  olive  or  cod-liver  oil,  must  all  be  carefully 
studied.  In  selecting  the  food  for  a  growing  child 
special  diet  lists  must  be  consulted,  and  they  must 
be  reliable.  It  is  in  this  connection  principally  that 
the  mother  will  find  of  value  her  knowledge  of  the 
chemistry  of  foods,  the  science  that  tells  us  what  things 
are  made  of,  and  how  their  elements  combine  with 
others  to  produce  certain  fixed  results.  Knowing  the 
chemical  composition  of  foods,  she  can  use  her  knowl- 
edge to  provide  palatable  dishes  with  no  loss  of  nutri- 
ment. Indeed,  possessing  the  elementary  knowledge 
only,  she  can  economize  time,  labor,  and  money. 

Constant  suggestion  in  this  field  may  prove  of  un- 
told value  when  sufficiently  practical  to  guide  the 
mother  in  her  selection  of  menus  from  lists  of  foods 
that  have  been  dietetically  considered  and  given  as 
suitable  for  the  requirements  of  a  child  in  average 
health  and  condition.     Foods  that  are  especially  suita- 


WHF  MOTHERS  SHOULD  STUDY  DIETETICS.      17 

ble  for  various  forms  of  illness  should  be  included  in 
these  lists,  and  recipes  allowed  should  be  only  those 
that  have  been  tried  and  found  advisable,  considered 
in  every  way,  from  a  practical  as  well  as  a  dietetic 
point  of  view.  Such  specific  knowledge,  if  thoroughly 
comprehended  and  followed  with  intelligence^  would 
aid  physicians  materially  in  their  efforts  to  lay  for 
children  a  firm  foundation  for  the  future. 

Following  the  period  of  childhood  comes  the  time 
for  the  study  of  estimating  correct  quantities  and 
proper  selections  of  food  to  be  used  in  regulating  the 
diet  suited  to  the  individual  needs  of  girls  and  boys 
approaching  maturity,  the  excesses  to  be  avoided  by 
those  of  sedentary  habits,  and  questions  of  similar 
import. 

Relative  to  this  whole  subject  Sir  Henry  Thomp- 
son, a  noted  English  physician,  and  an  authority  upon 
dietetics,  says,  "  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
more  than  half  the  disease  which  embitters  the  middle 
and  latter  half  of  life  is  due  to  avoidable  errors  in 
diet  (to  which  might  be  added,  ^more  particularly  in 
early  years'),  .  .  .  and  that  more  mischief  in  the 
form  of  actual  disease,  of  impaired  vigor,  and  of 
shortened  life  accrues  to  civilized  man  .  .  .  from 
erroneous  habits  of  eating  than  from  the  habitual  use 
of  alcoholic  drink,  considerable  as  I  know  that  evil 
to  be.'' 

General  knowledge  is  of  very  little  use  in  this  study 
beyond  directing  attention  to  the  need  existing  for 
special  knowledge.  What  appears  to  be  one  of  the 
most  practical  phases  of  this  many-sided  subject  is 
that  this  special  knowledge  must  be  supplied  to 
b  2* 


18  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

mothers  by  scientists,  by  physicians,  and  by  those 
among  the  laity  who  are  sufficiently  interested  in  the 
subject  to  assist  by  giving  data  secured  through  per- 
sonal experience.  The  science  of  household  affairs 
must  be  understood  if  reform  is  to  be  looked  for. 
Endowments  must  be  made  to  enable  scientists  to 
make  researches  of  the  highest  order.  Simplified  re- 
sults may  then  be  given  to  the  public  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  will  be  assimilable  and  readily  comprehended 
by  the  average  intellect.  Schools,  public  and  private, 
should  not  overlook  the  importance  of  this  study. 
Then  all  mothers  and  home-makers  in  the  land,  those 
indirect  nation-makers,  will  easily  come  to  understand 
the  underlying  principles  involved,  and  will  apply 
this  knowledge  in  such  a  way  as  to  benefit  all  who 
are  dependent  upon  their  efforts.  Herbert  Spencer 
says,  "  Perhaps  nothing  will  so  much  hasten  the  time 
when  body  and  mind  will  both  be  adequately  cared 
for  as  a  diffusion  of  the  belief  that  the  preservation 
of  health  is  a  duts'^.  Few  seem  conscious  that  there 
is  such  a  thing  as  physical  morality.  Men's  habitual 
words  and  acts  imply  that  they  are  at  liberty  to  treat 
their  bodies  as  they  please.  The  fact  is,  all  breaches 
of  the  law  of  health  are  physical  sins.  When  this  is 
generally  seen,  then,  and  perhaps  not  till  then,  will  the 
physical  training  of  the  young  receive  all  the  attention 
it  deserves.^' 


CHAPTEE  11. 
Infant  Feeding. 

Natural   Feeding — Food   for  Mothers — Wet-Nurse — Substitute   Feeding 
— Modification  of  Milk — Purpose  of  Milk  Laboratories — Weaning. 

T.  M.  EoTCH,  M.D.,  of  Boston,  Professor  of  Dis- 
eases of  Children  at  Harvard  University,  President  of 
the  Pediatric  Society,  etc.,  says,  ^^  Just  as  the  highest 
aim  of  medical  art  should  be  directed  to  the  province 
of  preventive  medicine,  so  the  highest  and  most  prac- 
tical branch  of  preventive  medicine  should  consist  of 
the  study  of  the  best  means  for  starting  young  human 
beings  in  life.  .  .  .  It  is  a  proper  or  an  improper  nutri- 
ment which  makes  or  mars  the  perfection  of  the  coming 
generation.  .  .  .  We  should  be  guided  by  what  nature 
has  taught  us  throughout  many  ages  in  studying  the 
form  of  nutriment  suitable  for  an  especial  period  of 
life.''  Because  of  Dr.  Botch's  high  standing  and  vast 
experience,  his  statements  command  recognition  every- 
where, and  such  of  his  most  recently  expressed  views 
as  are  likely  to  be  of  interest  to  those  in  charge  of 
children  are  embodied  in  the  present  chapter. 

The  superiority  of  human  milk  to  all  other  kinds  of 
infant  food  is  universally  acknowledged.  Dr.  Botch 
has  divided  the  nutrition  of  young  human  beings  into 
three  distinct  nutritive  periods,  corresponding  to  the 
stages  of  their  development.  The  first  period  consists 
of  the  first  ten  or  twelve  months  of  life,  and  it  is  at  this 

19 


20  BOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

I  time  that  human  milk  must  be  considered.  Mother's 
milk,  when  of  good  quality,  which  must  be  determined 
by  results,  is  conceded  by  all  to  be  the  most  desirable 
food  for  infants.  The  younger  the  infant  the  more 
important  the  breast  nursing,  as  it  is  extremely  difficult 
to  prejDare  a  food  that  will  agree  at  this  age.  Every 
effort  should  be  made  to  nurse  a  child  for  at  least  three 
or  four  months.  A  large  number  of  infants  are  de- 
prived unnecessarily  of  their  natural  food.  As  knowl- 
edge increases  this  will,  undoubtedly,  occur  less  fre- 
quently. Mothers  do  not  err  usually  from  lack  of 
feeling,  but  from  want  of  knowledge  as  to  ways  and 
means.  In  no  respect  is  there  seen  more  lamentable 
ignorance,  and  maybe  carelessness,  than  in  this  direc- 
tion. Mothers  rarely  know  the  conditions  requisite  for 
the  satisfactory  nursing  of  a  child.  To  nurse  a  child 
normally,  a  mother  should  be  strong  and  healthy,  of 
an  even,  happy  temperament,  desirous  of  nursing  her 
infant,  and  she  should  have  time  to  devote  herself  to 
this  SjDecial  duty  during  the  whole  period  of  her  lac- 
tation. She  should  have  a  sufficient  supply  of  milk, 
and  should  be  willing  to  regulate  her  diet,  her  exer- 
cise, and  her  sleep  according  to  the  rules  which  will 
best  fit  her  for  her  task.  These  may  be  said  to  be 
the  ideal  conditions  for  the  nursing  of  an  infant.  It 
is  true  that  women  who  are  far  from  vigorous  nurse 
their  infants  with  seemingly  good  results,  and  that  a 
frail,  delicate-looking  mother  may  have  an  abundant 
supply  of  good  milk.  These  are  exceptions,  however, 
which  make  the  principles  just  stated  all  the  more 
true.  Emotional  mothers  do  not  make  good  nurses. 
With  few  exceptions,  the  mothers  who  have  uncon- 


INFANT  FEEDING.  21 

trollable  temperaments^  who  are  unhappy,  who  are 
unwilling  to  nurse  their  infants,  who  are  hurried  in 
the  details  of  their  life,  who  are  irregular  in  their 
periods  of  rest  and  in  their  diet  and  exercise,  are 
unfit  to  act  as  the  source  of  food-supply  for  their  in- 
fants. Even  if  their  milk  happens  to  be  sufficient  in 
quantity,  it  will  probably  be  so  changeable  in  quality 
as  to  be  a  source  of  discomfort,  and  even  of  danger, 
rather  than  the  best  nutriment  for  their  offspring.  The 
influence  of  emotion  on  mother's  milk  is  very  great : 
in  some  cases  it  acts  as  a  direct  poison.  It  is  far  better 
for  such  mothers  not  to  attempt  to  nurse  if  they  cannot 
regulate  their  lives,  but  to  adopt  some  other  method  of 
feeding.  It  is  of  still  greater  importance  that  mothers 
who  are  suffering  from  some  chronic  disease,  or  one 
which  their  infants  may  directly  inherit,  should  give 
up  all  thought  of  nursing.  A  nursing  diet  should  not 
include  too  much  meat  and  solid  food  ;  an  abundant 
light  diet  should  be  given  at  first, — milk  gruels,  soups, 
vegetables,  bread  and  butter,  and  after  the  first  week 
a  small  amount  of  meat  once  a  day.  Increase  the 
diet  with  exercise,  using  plain  but  nutritious  foods, 
taking  regular  meals,  and  frequently  additional  ones 
of  milk,  cocoa,  etc.  Use  no  stimulants ;  malt  extracts 
are  useful;  drink  milk  at  night.  The  food  of  a 
nursing  woman  is  closely  connected  with  that  of  her 
infant.  Idiosyncrasies  must  be  looked  for,  and  if  cer- 
tain articles  disagree  with  certain  women,  and  con- 
sequently with  their  children,  they  should  be  omitted 
from  their  dietaries,  but  they  need  not  be  forbidden  to 
all  women  on  this  account. 

"  For  the  average  woman,  a  plain  mixed  diet,  with 


22  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

a  moderate  excess  of  fluids  and  proteids  oyer  what  she 
is  normally  accustomed  to,  will,  as  a  rule,  give  the  best 
results.^^     (Rotch.) 

Exercise  is  important  in  regulating  the  constituents 
of  human  milk.  It  is  to  be  taken  according  to  the 
strength  of  the  woman  in  question.  A  walk  of  one 
or  two  miles  daily,  or  an  equal  amount  of  similar 
exertion,  is  necessary  in  almost  all  instances  to  reduce 
the  proteids  in  human  milk  to  the  proper  proportion. 
Mothers  frequently  wonder  why  their  children  have 
colic,  when  the  reason  is  to  be  found  in  their  own 
sedentary  lives.  This  is  very  well  illustrated  in  a  case 
cited  by  Dr.  Rotch,  of  an  infant  that  was  being  nursed 
by  its  mother,  who  was  healthy,  and  who  had  an 
abundance  of  breast-milk.  The  infant  during  the 
first  two  months  of  its  life  nursed  well,  throve,  and 
was  perfectly  quiescent  in  its  daily  life.  When  it  was 
three  months  old  the  mother  was  very  much  worried 
by  some  trivial  family  matters,  and  did  not  take  much 
exercise.  The  infant  now  began  to  have  colic,  and, 
although  it  gained  in  weight,  it  was  very  restless,  and 
cried  continuously.  The  indications  for  treatment,  as 
shown  by  an  analysis  of  the  mother's  milk,  were  to 
lessen  the  amount  of  mental  disturbance  in  the  mother 
and  to  make  her  exercise  more.  The  mother  followed 
directions,  and  the  infant  improved.  After  a  few 
days  the  unfavorable  symptoms  returned,  and  it  was 
found  that  the  mother  had  not  been  exercising,  and  was 
again  mentally  disturbed.  Suitably  modified  labo- 
ratory milk,  containing  a  very  much  smaller  percent- 
age of  proteids  than  the  analysis  of  the  mother's  milk 
showed,  was  then  used,  and  the  child  digested  the  food 


INFANT  FEEDING.  23 

perfectly,  had  no  colic,  and  gained  in  weight.  Later, 
a  change  to  a  wet-nurse  was  made,  with  ensuing  diffi- 
culty, as  her  milk  had  too  high  a  percentage  of  proteids. 
The  child  became  ill,  lost  weight,  and  its  bowels  were 
affected.  Ai  last  the  mother  decided  to  return  to  the 
use  of  the  laboratory  milk,  which  was  given  low 
in  proteids ;  in  twenty-four  hours  improvement  was 
marked,  and  from  that  time  on  gain  was  steadily  made. 
This  is  only  one  of  the  many  interesting  accounts  of 
the  work  being  done  by  physicians  with  the  aid  of 
milk  laboratories. 

Mother's  milk  may  vary  in  quality  and  quantity. 
Frequent  analyses  should  be  made ;  this  can  be  done 
by  any  physician,  approximately,  by  the  use  of  the 
method  devised  by  Dr.  Holt.  The  apparatus  is  inex- 
pensive and  of  assistance  to  those  physicians  who  are 
endeavoring  to  solve  the  problem  of  infant  feeding, 
but  who  may  be  beyond  the  reach  of  laboratories  and 
the  opportunities  afforded  in  large  cities.  It  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  for  any  nursing  mother  to  have  an 
analysis  made  of  her  milk  when  the  child  is  thriving, 
that  in  the  event  of  her  sudden  death,  illness,  or  ab- 
sence the  same  constituents  of  food  may  be  provided, 
thus  avoiding  all  risk  of  illness  to  the  child  from  a 
change  to  an  unsuitable  substitute  food.  It  should  be 
the  duty  of  every  family  physician  to  see  that  this  is  done. 

Human  milk  may  be  considered  as  representing 
a  combination  of  foods.  Experience  shows  that  the 
digestive  capabilities  of  infants  differ  just  as  do  those 
of  adults,  and  that  nature  provides  a  number  of  varie- 
ties of  good  liuman  milk  adapted  to  the  various  idio- 
syncrasies of  infants. 


24  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

"Young  animals  at  birth  begin  to  receive  their 
nourishment  immediately,  and  a  corresponding  increase 
in  their  weight  takes  place  from  the  first  day  of  life. 
The  human  infant,  in  like  manner,  should  begin  with 
its  nursing  early,  getting  what  it  can  from  the  breast 
until  the  full  supply  of  milk  has  come.  In  this  way 
it  will  not  be  likely  to  have  a  large  initial  loss  of  weight 
to  regain.  .  .  .  Every  hour,  every  day,  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  in  the  early  days  of  life,  and,  provided  it 
can  be  done  without  detriment  to  the  condition  of  the 
mother,  the  sooner  the  infant  is  put  to  the  breast  the 
better.  If,  during  the  first  two  or  three  days  of  life, 
it  is  restless  and  evidently  hungry,  on  account  of  the 
mother's  inability  to  supply  milk,  one  to  two  drachms 
of  a  five  per  cent,  milk-sugar  solution,  made  by  dis- 
solving milk-sugar  in  sterilized  water,  should  be  given 
at  intervals  of  two  or  three  hours.''  If  the  mother's 
milk  is  delayed  still  longer,  something  additional  must 
be  given  to  the  infant,  and  if  the  food  cannot  be  ob- 
tained from  a  milk  laboratory,  the  proportions  for 
home  preparation  should  be  exactly  specified  by  the 
physician  in  charge. 

The  intervals  constitute  a  very  important  part  of 
the  management  of  breast  feeding  where  the  quantity 
is  regulated  by  the  breast  itself  They  should  be  defi- 
nitely stated  to  the  mother  at  different  times  through- 
out the  nursing  period,  and  should  be  adhered  to. 
The  table  given  by  Dr.  Rotch  as  an  average  rule, 
with  the  caution  that  the  intervals  of  feeding  be  made 
to  correspond  to  the  stage  of  development  of  the  indi- 
vidual, is  as  follows ; 


INFANT  FEEDING. 


25 


The  day  feedings  are  supposed  to  begin  with  the  6  a.m.  feeding 
and  to  end  with  the  10  p.m.  feeding. 


Age. 

From  birth  to  4  weeks 
From  4  to  6  weeks 
From  6  to  8  weeks     . 
From  2  to  4  months  . 
From  4  to  10  months 
From  10  to  12  months 


Intervals. 


hours 
hours 
hours 


2J  hours 


hours 
hours 


Number  of 

Feedings  in 

24  Hours. 

10 
9 
8 
7 
6 
5 


Number  of 
Night  Feed- 
ings. 

1 
'  1 
1 
0 
0 
0 


Note  that  night  feedings  are  omitted  at  two  to 
four  months.  The  mother  may  thus  have  continu- 
ous sleep  at  night  and  get  the  rest  necessary  for  condi- 
tions requiring  it.  Too  frequent  nursing  renders  milk 
too  solid,  lessens  the  water,  and  gives  the  child  colic ; 
too  long  intervals  make  the  milk  too  watery  to  give 
nutrition.  The  importance  of  regularity  at  proper 
intervals  cannot  be  overestimated  for  the  comfort  alike 
of  mother  and  child.  An  infant  should  nurse  about 
fifteen  minutes ;  this  will  be  found  to  be  usually  long 
enough  to  empty  one  breast,  which  should  be  sufficient 
for  one  feeding.  A  period  of  nursing  longer  than  the 
usual  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  before  the  child  is 
satisfied  should  make  us  suspicious  that  the  milk  is 
lacking  in  quantity,  which  can  be  determined  by 
weighing  the  child  before  and  after  nursing,  at  dif- 
ferent nursings  in  the  day,  before  reaching  conclu- 
sions. Increase  of  weight  is  the  best  evidence  as  to 
nutrition.  Dr.  Edward  P.  Davis  says  a  child  may 
gain  by  proper  food  from  a  half-ounce  to  an  ounce 
daily  for  the  first  four  or  five  months,  and  half  the 
amount  for  the  rest  of  the  year.     The  appearance  of 


26  HOW  TO   FEED   CHILDREN. 

the  stool  is  also  an  evidence  of  nutrition.  In  an  in- 
fant it  should  be  half  solid,  bright  yellow,  and  free 
from  partially  digested  milk. 

In  certain  cases  the  mother's  nipple  is  so  small  or 
depressed  as  to  give  trouble  in  nursing.  Nipple  shields 
will  sometimes  be  of  assistance.  In  cases  of  extreme 
pain  a  little  patience  for  a  fcAv  days  will  bridge  the 
difficulty  and  prevent  the  loss  of  the  child's  greatest 
blessing.  Bathing  with  cold  water  before  and  after 
nursing  keeps  the  tissues  in  healthy  condition.  In 
cases  where  the  child  cannot  obtain  its  food  through  a 
shield  or  from  the  breast  from  lack  of  suction  power, 
the  breast-pump  becomes  of  value.  The  practical 
deductions  to  be  drawn  from  known  experiments 
demonstrate  that  in  cases  of  illness  of  the  mother  or 
unavoidable  absence  from  an  infant  the  breast-pump 
may  be  used  regularly  to  relieve  the  breast  of  the 
mother  until  such  time  as  she  may  resume  nursing, 
w^hilst  the  babe  may  be  fed  according  to  the  analysis 
which  the  physician  should  have  made  beforehand  and 
kept  in  readiness  for  reference  under  the  possibility 
of  just  such  circumstance  arising. 

Drugs  must  be  used  very  carefully.  Laxative  med- 
icines will  frequently  affect  a  child,  and  they  should 
always  be  given  with  caution.  Dr.  Rotch  speaks  of 
one  instance  of  a  mother's  drinking  porter  every  day, 
which  caused  her  nursing  child  to  vomit  for  weeks. 
She  stopped  taking  it,  and  the  vomiting  of  the  infant 
ceased. 

The  return  of  menstruation  does  not  necessarily  in- 
dicate that  there  should  be  cessation  of  nursing.  The 
only  disturbance  which  is  likely  to  arise  is  a  slight 


Breast-pump. 


INFANT  FEEDING.  27 

attack  of  indigestion,  whicli  will  in  all  probability  dis- 
appear under  normal  conditions  in  a  day  or  two.  If 
this  is  not  the  case  and  the  milk  appears  to  disturb  the 
chikPs  nutrition  continuously,  a  physician  should  de- 
cide whether  weaning  is  necessary. 

Pregnancy  is  not  compatible  with  nursing;  hence 
weaning  is  imperative,  but  if  a  child  is  delicate  or  ill, 
it  must  not  be  done  suddenly.  Five  or  six  weeks 
should  be  taken  to  do  it,  using  modified  milk  prepared 
according  to  an  analysis  of  the  mother's  milk  that 
should  have  been  made  before  the  disturbance  arose. 

If  at  any  time  the  mother's  milk  seems  insufficient, 
it  may  be  supplemented  with  properly  modified  milk 
by  one  or  two  feedings  a  day  at  any  age,  from  six 
weeks  up,  it  necessary.  So  long  as  a  child  gains  in 
weight,  nursing  may  be  continued  up  to  eight  or  ten 
months,  according  to  the  season  of  the  year;  if,  how- 
ever, the  child  does  not  gain,  substitute  feeding  may  be 
used  at  any  age,  but  the  substitute  food  must  be  made 
to  resemble  the  mother's  milk  as  closely  as  possible. 
If  teething  is  delayed,  it  is  an  evidence  of  poor  breast- 
milk,  and  substitute  feeding  should  then  be  begun.  A 
well-nourished  child  should  grow  about  eight  inches 
the  first  year  (or  nearly  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
every  month)  and  four  inches  the  second  year  (not 
quite  half  an  inch  a  month).  An  infant  should 
double  its  weight  in  six  months,  and  treble  it  in  a  year. 
It  should  be  weighed  and  measured  monthly.  If  it 
does  not  increase  at  the  rate  of  about  one  pound  a 
month  the  first  year,  and  about  twelve  ounces  a  month 
the  second,  it  is  advisable  to  see  to  its  nutrition,  which 
will,  in  all  probability,  be  found  to  be  at  fault.     A 


28  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

nurse  should  cease  nursing  if  these  conditions  are  not 
present.  Premature  children  should  increase  in  the 
same  ratio. 

The  employment  of  a  wet-nurse  requires  careful 
consideration,  and  should  be  done  under  a  physician's 
advice  only.  All  the  points  which  have  been  referred 
to  for  successful  maternal  nursing  are  of  equal  signifi- 
cance in  the  case  of  a  wet-nurse.  For  many  reasons, 
such  as  expense,  difficulty  in  securing  one  whose  milk 
will  agree,  hereditary  taint,  ungovernable  temper,  etc., 
this  method  of  feeding  is  usually  out  of  the  question ; 
hence  indirect  substitute  feeding  must  be  instituted  in 
the  majority  of  cases.  If  a  v/et-nurse  is  employed, 
her  diet  and  habit  of  life  should  remain  as  nearly  as 
possible  like  what  she  has  been  accustomed  to. 

Under  all  circumstances,  even  if  a  mother  is  healthy 
and  the  milk  good,  by  the  end  of  the  first  year  wean- 
ing should  have  been  accomplished.  Unmodified  cow's 
milk  and  starch  in  some  form  are  much  better  adapted 
to  the  child  at  this  time,  and  should  be  substituted  for 
mother's  milk.  If  a  child  has  been  properly  weaned, 
it  can  easily  digest  them  at  this  age.  The  presence  of 
six  or  eight  incisor  teeth  allows  a  change  to  be  made 
in  the  food,  and  the  use  of  starchy  foods  follows,  but 
it  is  usual  for  children  to  be  unable  to  digest  these 
foods  to  any  extent  until  the  last  two  or  three  months 
of  the  first  year.  The  period  of  nursing  may  be 
shortened  or  lengthened  by  a  month  or  two,  according 
to  the  season  of  the  year,  the  comiug  of  the  teeth,  or 
the  condition  of  the  child  from  illness  or  convalescence. 
Under  such  circumstances  it  may  be  wiser  to  feed  the 
infant  from  the  breast  during  summer,  and  to  wean  it 


INFANT  FEEDING.  29 

in  cool  weather,  before  or  after  the  hot  season,  accord- 
ing to  the  individual  case.  It  is  also  preferable  to 
wean  when  the  child  is  not  cutting  teeth,  as  disturb- 
ances may  arise.  Sudden  weaning  should  never  occur ; 
sufficient  time  should  be  taken,  and  the  food  substi- 
tuted must  be  gradually  given.  If  home  modification 
of  milk  is  depended  upon,  give  one  bottle  in  place  of  a 
nursing  for  a  few  days,  watching  the  child  carefully  to 
see  if  the  new  food  agrees ;  then  two  bottle  feedings, 
replacing  two  nursings,  preferably  one  in  the  morn- 
ing and  one  in  the  afternoon ;  after  a  few  days  three ; 
and  so  on  until  every  meal  is  given  from  the  bottle. 
If  the  milk  is  properly  modified,  weaning  should  be 
a  very  simple  matter  in  ordinary  cases.  Dr.  Rotch 
says  the  method  he  finds  safest  and  best  is  used  in 
connection  with  the  milk  laboratory.  If  an  infant 
is  thriving  upon  its  mother's  milk,  he  has  the  milk 
analyzed,  and  sends  for  the  same  percentage  of  the 
elements  in  the  substitute  food  to  be  used.  After 
using  this  for  a  few  days,  if  he  finds  the  milk  agree- 
ing with  the  infant,  he  changes  the  constituents  grad- 
ually, with  the  object  of  gradually  combining  these 
percentages  in  such  a  way  as  to  correspond  to  the 
percentages  of  the  elements  of  unmodified  cow's  milk. 
He  shows  how  this  is  easily  and  precisely  accomplished, 
and  fully  explains  the  use  of  milk  laboratories  where 
such  exact  methods  are  followed.  At  the  tenth  or 
eleventh  month,  before  the  breast-milk  has  been  en- 
tirely withdrawn,  starch  in  some  form,  as  advised  by 
the  physician,  should  be  added  to  the  milk,  and,  if  it 
agrees,  the  breast  can  be  altogether  replaced  by  substi- 
tute feeding. 

3* 


INFANT  FEEDING.  31 

who  knows,  instead  of  presuming  to  know  it  all  her- 
self. 

Too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the  necessity 
in  infant  feeding  for  mothers  to  consult  physicians  in 
regard  to  substitute  feeding,  and  all  important  changes 
to  be  made,  and  equally  upon  a  strict  following  to  the 
letter  of  all  directions  given,  not  relying  too  implicitly 
upon  others  for  supervision  where  personal  attention 
is  necessary.  If  this  be  done,  the  physician  will  be 
aided,  not  hindered,  as  he  now  so  frequently  is,  in  his 
efforts  to  reduce  infant  mortality  and  increase  the 
strength  of  those  who  survive. 

Proprietary  artificial  foods  are  entirely  unnecessary 
when  cow^s  milk  and  cereals  may,  with  the  requisite 
knowledge,  be  prepared  at  home.  They  are  a  useless 
expense  for  older  children,  unsuitable  for  infants,  and 
altogether  the  weight  of  opinion  is  against  their  use. 

If  in  weaning  a  child  the  laboratory  method  or  home 
modification  cannot  be  followed,  on  account  of  care- 
less servants,  nurses,  etc.,  the  Fairchild  process  will 
be  found  satisfac^tory  at  any  age  or  season,  one  bottle 
taking  the  place  of  a  nursing  at  first,  two  in  a  few 
days,  and  so  on.  For  infants  hand-fed  from  the  first, 
in  cases  where  a  physician  or  laboratory  methods  are 
not  available,  this  process  should  be  tried  before  resort- 
ing to  the  mixtures  advised  on  labels  and  advertising 
pages  as  "the  only  food  for  infants,"  or  "just  like 
mother's  milk,"  etc. 

Ideal  weaning  should  be  completed  at  twelve  months 
if  gradually  done.  If,  on  account  of  illness  of  the 
mother,  or  for  any  other  imperative  reason,  it  must  be 
done  in  summer,  the  process  mentioned  above  will,  in 


32  JSOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

all  probability,  meet  all  requirements  if  a  physician's 
advice  cannot  be  had.  After  the  change  from  breast- 
milk  has  been  entirely  made  to  modified  milk,  the 
advance  to  clear  milk  must  be  graduated  with  equal 
care  by  substituting  one  bottle  only  in  place  of  the 
modified  milk,  in  a  week  another,  and  so  on ;  then 
when  the  change  is  completely  made,  cereal  foods  must 
be  used  just  as  gradually,  the  undiluted  milk  being 
kept  for  the  base  of  the  child's  food  throughout  the 
second  year,  as  indicated  elsewhere. 

The  fat  necessary  for  an  infant's  food  is  in  the 
cream.  Constipation  is  a  frequent  result  of  lack  of 
fat  in  both  nursing  infants  and  those  fed  by  substi- 
tute feeding.  A  nursing  mother  may  correct  such 
constipation  by  eating  more  meat  and  taking  more 
exercise.  A  bottle-fed  baby  needs  more  fat  (cream)  in 
its  food.  Condensed  milk  and  malted  milk  are  both 
lacking;  in  fat,  and  when  children  are  said  to  thrive 
upon  these  foods  it  will  usually  be  found  upon  inves- 
tio^ation  that  cream  has  been  added.  I  remember  one 
instance  in  which  this  was  particularly  noticeable,  as 
the  child's  parents  told  me,  in  refutation  of  my  state- 
ment that  modified  cow's  milk  was  best,  of  the  ex- 
ceptional weight  and  condition  of  their  child,  who  had, 
as  they  said,  been  fed  altogether  upon  condensed  milk. 
Upon  close  questioning  I  discovered  that  cream  had 
been  used  generously,  which  explained  to  me  very 
satisfactorily  the  causes  at  work  in  this  instance.  The 
test  of  a  child's  condition  does  not  always  reveal  itself 
upon  casual  observation.  The  true  test  is  shown  in  its 
resistance  to  the  various  forms  of  disease  so  generally 
supposed  to  be  children's  necessary  ailments.     Many 


INFANT  FEEDING.  33 

of  them  result  from  carelessness,  and  are  called  chil- 
dren's diseases  only  because  at  this  period  of  slight 
resistance  the  greatest  amount  of  ignorance  and  care- 
lessness is  usually  displayed,  with  consequent  disas- 
ter to  the  little  ones.  As  the  knowledge  of  hygiene 
and  dietetics  in  the  nursery  becomes  more  general, 
the  infant's  chances  of  life  will  outweigh  those  of 
death. 

Some  modification  of  cow's  milk  is  necessary  for 
substitute  feeding.  It  is  the  universal  source  of  sup- 
ply for  this  purpose,  and,  as  Dr.  Rotch  says,  the 
various  foods  used  are  merely  adjuvants  of  cow's 
milk,  which  does  away  with  much  misapprehension 
concerning  the  apparently  successful  results  of  in- 
numerable foods.  What  he  says  further  upon  this 
subject  might  be  studied  with  profit  by  every  one 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  children  : 

"  It  would  seem  hardly  necessary  to  suggest  that 
the .  proper  authority  for  establishing  rules  for  substi- 
tute feeding  should  emanate  from  the  medical  pro- 
fession, and  not  from  non-medical  capitalists.  Yet, 
when  we  study  the  history  of  artificial  feeding  as  it  is 
represented  all  over  the  world,  the  position  which  the 
family  physician  occupies,  in  comparison  with  that  of 
the  venders  of  the  numberless  patent  and  proprietary 
artificial  foods  administered  by  the  nurses,  is  a  humili- 
ating one,  and  should  no  longer  be  tolerated. 

"  If  we  are  abreast  of  the  times,  if  we  but  recognize 
and  do  justice  to  the  work  which  has  lately  been  done 
by  our  own  profession,  we  surely  will  not  hesitate  to 
relegate  to  oblivion  the  statements  of  the  food  proprie- 
tors, which  on  box  and  can,  on  bottle  and  printed  circu- 


34  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

lar,  attempt  to  stem  the  slow  but  inevitably  progressing 
wave  of  scientific  investigation. 

"  It  may  be  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  attempts 
which  in  the  past  have  been  made  to  manufacture 
cheap  foods  have  been  markedly  failures.  We  must 
first,  regardless  of  expense^  learn  to  produce  by  modi- 
fication a  perfected  substitute  food^  and  not  endanger 
the  success  of  our  undertaking  by  allowing  the  mer- 
cantile side  of  the  question  to  cripple  us  in  the  use  of 
costly  methods^  which,  however,  Ave  know  to  be  the 
best.  We  should,  in  fact,  remember  that  the  human 
milk,  which  we  are  endeavoring  to  copy,  far  from 
being  a  cheap  product,  is  a  very  expensive  one. 

"^ly  own  opinion  in  regard  to  patent  foods,  as  a 
whole,  is  that  they  must  necessarily  be  unreliable. 
They  are  thrown  on  a  market  where  the  competition  is 
extreme,  and  when  once  they  have  been  advertised  into 
public  notice  I  cannot  but  feel  that  irregularities  and 
changes — slight,  perhaps,  in  the  eyes  of  the  makers — 
may  unintentionally  creep  in  and  carry  their  composi- 
tion still  fui'ther  from  that  of  the  standard,  human  milk. 

"  Analyses  show  that  there  is  a  lack  of  uniformity 
in  these  foods  from  year  to  year,  and  that  original 
claims  are  apparently  forgotten  or  allowed  to  give 
way  to  cheaper  production.  In  fact,  as  my  experience 
in  the  feeding  of  infants  increases,  and  as  I  examine 
year  by  year  the  effects  of  the  different  foods  on  in- 
fants, I  am  strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that 
with  our  present  physiological,  chemical,  and  clinical 
knowledge  all  the  patent  foods  are  entirely  imneces- 
sary.  The  claims  made  for  them  are  not  supported  by 
intelligent  and  unprejudiced  investigation.    Those  who 


INFANT  FEEDING.  35 

manufacture  them  are  not  in  a  position  to  judge  cor- 
rectly concerning  them.  The  merit  at  times  of  their 
apparent  success  does  not  belong  to  them^  but  to  ac- 
companying circumstances.  They  do  great  harm  by 
impressing  upon  tlie  public  the  false  idea  that  a  cheap, 
easily  prepared  food  is  for  the  good  of  the  infant  and 
is  better  than  anything  that  can  be  procured  elsewhere. 
They  vary  too  greatly  in  their  analyses  to  keep  even 
within  the  acknowledged  varying  limits  of  human 
milk.  It  is  therefore  high  time  for  physicians  to  ap- 
preciate exactly  how  inefficient  in  themselves  and  how 
misleading  in  their  claims  are  these  artificial  foods, 
and  also  in  what  a  false  position,  as  the  protector  and 
adviser  to  the  public,  our  profession  is  placed  whenever 
it  lends  itself  to  even  a  toleration  of  their  use.  I 
speak  of  them  here  simply  because  there  is  no  doubt 
that  they  are  kept  in  the  market  by  the  physician 
rather  than  by  the  manufacturer.  The  latter  is  only 
doing  what  any  capitalist  interested  in  a  business  ven- 
ture would  do.  The  former,  it  seems  to  me,  is,  per- 
haps unintentionally,  aiding  the  business  interests  of 
others  at  the  expense  of  his  own  future  reputation  as  a 
scientist.  It  makes  little  difference  to  physicians  as  to 
what  is  claimed  for  these  foods  w^hen  they  are  placed 
in  the  market.  It  makes  a  great  difference  what  the 
mixture  contains  when  given  by  the  mother  to  the 
infant  according  to  the  directions  on  the  label.  For 
instance,  a  food  may  show  by  its  published  and  certi- 
fied analysis  a  fair  percentage  of  fat  or  sugar,  and  yet 
this  same  food  when  diluted  for  the  infant's  feeding 
may  have  these  constituents  reduced  far  below  the 
reasonable  limits  of  nutrition." 


36  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  every  year  in  the 
United  States  alone  thousands  of  children  die  for  want 
of  care  in  the  preparation  and  administration  of  their 
food.  Until  within  the  past  few  years  very  little 
attention  was  given  to  the  purity  of  milk  or  to  the 
possibility  of  keeping  it  sweet  for  any  length  of  time. 
Infected  milk  is  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  con- 
tagion in  consumption,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  and 
kindred  diseases.  The  application  of  sufficient  heat 
I (167°  r.)  to  kill  the  germs  which  are  dangerous  to 
the  child  without  destroying  the  quality  of  the  milk 
as  a  food,  is  the  only  practical  w^ay  known  of  pre- 
venting contagion  and  keeping  milk  sweet  for  the 
time  required  in  infant  feeding.  Tlie  proper  care  of 
milk  demands  purity  of  source,  cleanliness  in  handling, 
and  quick  and  careful  transportation.  Failing  these, 
the  application  of  heat  is  the  only  safeguard  left  to 
the  mother  to  protect  her  child.  Statistics  show"  that 
in  hospitals  wdiere  this  method  has  been  introduced 
the  death-rate  of  children,  particularly  of  infants,  has 
wonderfully  decreased.  This  is  not  surprising  when 
one  hears  that  a  single  microbe,  like  the  hay  bacillus, 
found  in  all  stables,  is  so  prolific  that  at  the  end  of 
twenty-four  hours  its  descendants  will  be  more  than 
ten  billions  in  number.  This  fact  alone  shows  one 
immense  advantage  to  be  gained  by  the  application 
of  a  sufficient  degree  of  heat  to  kill  all  dangerous 
germs.  The  fact  is  generally  conceded  that  pure  milk 
will  prevent  much  infant  disease  and  mortality,  and 
bacteriologists  have  fully  demonstrated  the  necessity 
for  this  process  by  showing  that  milk  is  rarely  23ure. 
Dr.  Chapin  says  that  in  six  hundred  infants  whose 


INFANT  FEEDING.  37 

cases  were  studied,  nearly  all  the  troubles  were  acquired 
and  not  hereditary.  ^'  While  a  tendency  to  constitu- 
tional disease  may  be  inherited,  it  is  the  bad  surround- 
ings and  the  faulty  conditions  of  life  that  powerfully 
predispose  to  illness/^  the  chief  sources  of  difficulty 
being  poverty  and  ignorance.  He  says  the  waste  of 
child-life  in  densely  populated  centres,  especially  in 
New  York,  is  enormous.  In  the  year  1893  the  bodies 
of  three  thousand  and  forty-two  children  under  five 
years  of  age  were  received  at  the  morgue,  and  nearly 
all  were  buried  in  Potter's  Field,  killed  by  poverty 
and  ignorance,  want  of  proper  diet  and  care.  In 
France,  out  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  infants 
that  die  annually,  one  hundred  thousand  might  be 
saved  by  careful  nursing,  says  M.  Rouchard,  President 
of  the  Society  for  the  Protection  of  Children.  This 
knowledge  caused  the  passage  of  the  bill  forbidding 
the  use  of  solid  food  for  infants  under  one  year  of 
age,  unless  advised  by  a  physician.  A  few  facts  like 
these  will  show  to  the  educated  and  thoughtful  woman 
why  this  particular  branch  of  knowledge  should  spread 
until  its  influence  takes  effect  in  a  marked  degree  upon 
the  health  of  the  children  of  the  poor  in  large  cities, 
who  now  have  to  struggle  as  best  they  can  against 
sour  milk,  heat,  dust,  tenement-life,  and  all  the  evils 
and  discomforts  that  attend  the  very  poor,  absence  of 
cleanliness  being  generally  the  greatest  evil.  Those 
engaged  in  visiting  the  poor  in  cities  where  ignorance 
reigns  supreme,  reveal  pitiful  cases  of  poverty,  care- 
lessness, and  ignorance.  Baby's  milk  is  left  uncovered 
all  day  long  in  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  one  living- 
room,  or  is  placed  with  other  food  in  a  sink,  which 

4 


38  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

becomes  the  refrigerator  for  those  who  cannot  afford 
ice,  and  here  absorbs  germs  by  the  million. 

The  underlying  truth  of  all  the  past  and  present 
agitation  concerning  the  purity  of  the  milk-supply  and 
the  problem  of  substitute  infant  feeding  is  that  both 
have  been  sadly  neglected  for  many  years,  with  the 
pitiful  result  of  a  vast  amount  of  suffering  and  many 
premature  deaths  of  children  from  one  to  ^ye  years  of 
age,  especially  during  the  hot  summer  months,  when  it  is 
so  difficult  not  only  to  secure  a  pure  supply,  but  also  to 
protect  the  milk  upon  which  these  little  ones  depend. 
Comparatively  few  people  stop  to  consider  how  quickly 
dangerous  changes  take  place  in  this  important  article 
of  food,  and  how  readily  it  becomes  contaminated  by 
absorption  of  various  volatile  substances.  This  is  par- 
ticularly true  of  those  who  have  the  immediate  charge 
of  milk.  It  is  appalling  to  any  one  understanding 
the  subject  and  its  bearings  to  see  the  carelessness  that 
is  frequently  displayed  by  the  milkmen,  maids,  and 
nurses,  all  of  whom  play  so  important  a  part  in  infant 
dietetics.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  philanthropists,  scien- 
tists, and  physicians  have  combined  in  solicitous  effort 
to  provide  a  pure  supply  of  milk  and  to  show  how  it 
should  be  properly  administered  to  save  helpless  and 
suffering  infants?  The  subject  is  of  infinite  impor- 
tance, and  the  truths  concerning  it  should  be  iterated 
and  reiterated  until  satisfactory  evidence  has  been 
given  that  persistence  has  been  of  some  avail  in 
changing  existing  conditions  that  are  a  reproach  to 
our  people  and  a  menace  to  our  health  as  a  nation. 
Medical  science  has  made  important  and  rapid  prog- 
ress in  this  direction,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  work 


INFANT  FEEDING.  39 

done  by  Drs.  Rotch,  Jacobi,  Holt,  and  many  others, 
and  by  the  establishment  of  milk  laboratories  where 
a  child^s  food  may  be  called  for  by  prescription  and 
be  prepared  with  the  same  care  as  is  ordinarily  sup- 
posed necessary  for  medicines  only. 

A  brief  outline  of  the  work  possible  to  be  done  with 
the  assistance  of  these  laboratories  is  as  follows  :  the 
cows  supplying  the  milk  receive  the  care  required  to 
provide  as  pure  a  milk  as  it  is  possible  to  procure ;  the 
milk  is  properly  handled  and  cared  for ;  the  cream  is 
separated  from  the  milk  by  a  sej^arator  specially 
adapted  to  the  purpose;  other  ingredients,  such  as 
cereal  jellies,  lime  water,  boiled  water,  etc.,  required 
for  the  modification  of  milk,  are  held  in  readiness,  and 
.all  the  materials  used  are  clean,  sterile,  and  exact  in 
theii  percentages ;  the  physician  making  use  of  labora- 
tory methods  calls  for  certain  percentages  of  foods  re- 
quired in  the  especial  case  he  has  in  charge ;  the  milk 
modifier  simply  follows  directions.  Dr.  Rotch  says, 
"  An  opportunity  has  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  medicine  been  presented  for  the  physician  to  carry 
out  his  own  methods,  for  the  first  time  to  be  judged 
on  a  fair  basis.  In  this  way  only  can  each  clinical 
observer,  when  lacking  in  success,  be  sure  that  it  is  the 
fault  of  the  food  he  is  giving,  and  not  because  the  food 
has  varied  from  what  he  supposed  he  had  ordered." 

Each  day's  feeding  of  each  individual  infant  is  re- 
corded. During  the  last  three  years  Dr.  Rotch  has 
been  able  to  test  the  value  of  this  method  by  the  feed- 
ing of  nearly  three  thousand  infants,  and  his  data  in 
the  practical  use  of  this  system  have  been  gathered 
by  about  four  hundred  physicians.    He  says  he  believes 


40  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

a  new  era  has  been  entered  upon  in  the  province  of 
infant  feeding  which  will  enable  physicians  to  produce 
results  that  have  never  before  been  obtained. 

The  first  milk  laboratory  for  the  exact  modification 
of  milk  that  has  been  established  in  the  world  is  the 
one  that  was  opened  to  the  public  in  1891  in  Boston 
under  the  name  of  the  Walker-Gordon  Laboratory. 
Since  that  time  Kew  York  has  had  one,  and  one  is  now 
being  established  in  Philadelphia. 

For  those  who  are  beyond  the  reach  of  these  labora- 
tories, except  by  correspondence,  Dr.  Rotch,  in  con- 
junction with  Mr.  Gordon,  has  formulated  a  plan  for 
the  modification  of  milk  at  home. 

If  mothers  will  study  this  plan  practically  they  may 
materially  aid  physicians  who  are  away  from  labora- 
tories in  arranging  a  substitute  food  that  will  be  likely 
to  agree  with  the  infant  in  question.  It  would  be  a 
very  simple  matter  for  any  mother  (relying  upon  her 
family  physician  for  assistance  in  regulating  ingre- 
dients) to  follow  these  directions,  if  only  in  a  general 
way,  with  advantage  to  her  child,  as  they  are  based 
upon  purity  of  source  and  handling  of  an  infant's  food, 
and  caution  and  exactness  in  preparing,  administering, 
and  changing  from  one  kind  of  food  to  another.  Dr. 
Jacobi  says  a  good  food  for  a  baby  does  not  mean  one 
which  simply  does  not  kill.  It  is  one  which  j)ermits  a 
child  to  grow  up  healthy  and  strong.  To  perfect  a 
substitute  food  exactness  is  required.  This  is  made 
possible  by  laboratory  methods.  The  apparatus  re- 
quired for  home  modification  can  be  procured  from  the 
original  laboratory  in  Boston,  or  from  those  in  ISTew 
York  and  Philadelphia.     It  consists  of  a  home  steril- 


INFANT  FEEDING.  41 

izer,  a  thermometer  to  indicate  the  heat  within  the  can, 
tubes  for  the  milk,  a  roll  of  aseptic,  non-absorbent 
cotton  for  stoppers,  a  cozy,  an  8J-ounce  glass  graduate 
divided  into  half-drachms,  a  milk-sugar  measure,  hold- 
ing 3f  drachms,  which  obviates  the  expense  of  having 


Sugar-measure. 

the  milk-sugar  put  up  in  packages  by  the  apothecary, 
and  is  sufficiently  exact  to  regulate  the  sugar  per- 
centages in  the  mixtures  likely  to  be  directed  by  the 
physician  (if  preferred,  one  pound  may  be  divided  into 
thirty-five  packages,  one  package  to  be  used  instead 
of  a  measureful),  and,  finally,  a  glass  siphon,  which  is 
a  very  necessary  adjunct  in  preparing  an  infant's  food. 
"It  should  be  a  glass  tube  one-quarter  to  one-half 
inch  in  diameter,  and  it  can  be  bent  in  a  gas-flame. 
The  end  out  of  which  the  milk  is  to  flow  should  be  at 
least  six  inches  longer  than  that  which  is  to  be  inserted 
in  the  jar.  To  operate  the  siphon,  fill  with  boiled 
water,  close  the  longer  end  with  the  finger,  invert  the 
siphon,  and  place  the  shorter  end  in  the  milk  (at  the 
bottom  of  the  jar).  Then  withdraw  the  finger,  and 
the  water,  followed  by  the  milk,  will  run  out  of  the 
long  arm  of  the  siphon.  Do  not  use  the  mouth  to 
start  the  flow  of  the  milk  through  the  siphon  under 
any  circumstances."    (Rotch.) 

Every  direction  must  be  followed  with  care  as  to  the 
minutest  detail.      Herd  milk  is  preferable  to  that  of 

4* 


42  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

one  cow ;  the  cows  should  be  of  common  breed,  and 
such  as  give  a  moderately  rich  milk ;  the  milk  should 
be  drawn  with  clean  hands  ;  the  udders  and  teats  of 
the  cows  should  be  cleansed,  and  the  cows  should  be 
milked  in  as  clean  a  place  as  possible ;  the  milk  should 
be  thoroughly  strained. 

The  milk  should  then  be  set  in  a  vessel  containing 
ice  and  water  with  some  salt  in  the  proportion  of  one 
teaspoonful  to  a  quart  of  water,  and  the  vessel  be  set  in 
some  clean  place.  A  clean,  freshly  boiled  cotton  cloth 
is  next  to  be  thrown  over  the  uncovered  quart  jar. 
The  mouth  of  the  jar  is  to  be  kept  open  for  about 
fifteen  minutes,  to  dispose  of  animal  heat.  The  jar  is 
then  sealed  tightly,  as  you  would  for  preserving,  and 
is  left  in  the  ice  water  for  six  hours,  care  being  taken 
that  the  water  does  not  fall  below  1.66°  C.  (35°  F.). 
City  milk  as  delivered  in  jars  is  supposed  to  have  gone 
through  the  cooling  process,  and  if  it  must  be  used  for 
children's  food  it  should  be  siphoned,  in  the  manner 
already  described,  after  the  cream  has  risen.  It  is 
possible  in  some  cities — i.e.,  New  York,  Boston,  and 
Philadelphia — to  secure  milk,  in  limited  quantity,  that 
is  only  a  few  hours  old ;  this  should  be  used  in  pref- 
erence to  ordinary  city  milk,  which  is  usually  twenty 
hours  old  by  the  time  it  reaches  the  consumer. 

At  the  end  of  the  time  required  for  the  rising  of  the 
cream,  siphon  out  carefully  from  the  bottom  of  the  jar 
with  the  siphon  described  three-quarters  of  the  milk 
into  a  clean  glass  vessel,  leaving  half  a  pint  of  cream 
containing  ten  per  cent,  of  fating  the  jar.  You  now 
have  in  a  separate  vessel  the  milk  necessary  for  dilu- 
tion, containing  the  proteids.     Some  clean  drinking 


INFANT  FEEDING. 


43 


water  should  then  be  boiled  for  five  minutes,  which, 
with  some  fresh  lime  water  and  the  milk-sugar  in 
packages  or  measure,  prepares  you  for  following  your 
physician's  advice  as  to  percentages. 

Inasmuch  as  every  child  requires  different  percent- 
ages in  the  same  way  that  every  adult  needs  food  suited 


Jar  containing  millr,  cream,  and  siphon.    C,  cream;  M,  milk;  S,  siphon. 


to  his  capabilities  in  various  directions,  it  is  manifestly 
impossible  to  give  a  routine  mixture,  and  this  part  of 
infant  feeding  should  always  devolve  upon  the  family 
physician,  who  is  much  better  able  than  the  mother  to 
decide  as  to  the  constituents  required  for  various  ages 
and  conditions  of  health  and  illness.  The  above  di- 
rections are  given  in  the  hope  that  mothers  and  others 


44 


HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 


of  the  laity  wlio  are  in  charge  of  children  will  realize 
the  necessity  of  going  hand  in  hand  with  physicians 
who  are  working  faithfully  to  reach  a  safe  basis  for 
infant  feeding.  Mothers  and  nurses  can  aid  materially 
in  this  work  if  they  will  only  take  the  initiatory  steps 
and  make  themselves  competent  assistants  in  work  of 
this  kind. 

Dr.  Seibert,   of  K^ew  York,  has   recommended   a 
system  of  filtering  through  a  thin  layer  of  clean  ab- 


Dr.  Seibert's  funnel. 


sorbent  cotton,  which  plan  is  supposed  partly  to  re- 
place in  families  the  centrifugal  method  of  large  milk 
establishments.  A  writer  on  this  subject  in  the  jS"ew 
York  Iledical  Journal  speaks  of  the  gross  filth  that 
is  removed  by  this  process,  and  says,  "It  not  only 
keeps  dirt  out  of  the  nursing-bottle  but  also  out  of 
the  alimentary  canal  of  the  infant,  where,  not  being 
digestible,  it  is  reinfected  and  can  only  do  harm."  It 
is  said  that  the  bacteria  in  milk  are  reduced  in  num- 


INFANT  FEEDING.  '         45 

bers  one-half  by  this  method  of  filtering.  Dr.  Seibert 
has  had  made  for  the  purpose  carefully  prepared  cotton 
disks  and  funnels. 

Taking  it  for  granted  that  the  above  directions  have 
been  followed,  and  that  the  physician  has  given  the 
formula  required  for  immediate  use  in  the  case  of 
whatever  infant  is  being  fed,  the  next  point  to  be  con- 
sidered is  the  purity  of  the  milk  that  is  to  be  used.  In 
some  exceptional  places,  and  under  some  exceptional 
circumstances,  milk  may  be  so  well  cared  for  as  to  be 
comparatively  free  from  bacteria,  and  the  cows  riiay 
be  known  by  test  to  be  free  from  tuberculosis,  but  in 
the  majority  of  instances  this  cannot  be  relied  upon ; 
hence  the  better  plan  is  to  heat  the  milk  to  75°  C 
(167°  F.),  a  temperature  sufficiently  high  to  kill  those 
developed  bacteria  which  would  be  of  any  harm  to  the 
digestion  of  the  infant,  and  at  the  same  time  low 
enough  to  prevent  changes  that  are  now  acknowledged 
by  nearly  all  physicians  to  be  undesirable  in  an  in- 
fant's food, — changes  that  are  caused  by  the  tempera- 
ture (212°  F.)  formerly  advised  for  the  destruction  of 
germs  existing  in  milk.  The  temperature  of  75°  C. 
(167°  F.)  allows  the  milk  to  remain  practically  fresh, 
uncooked,  and  sterile.  The  higher  degree  of  100°  C 
(212°  F.)  may  be  used  in  case  of  journeys,  and  when 
the  milk,  for  unavoidable  reasons,  must  be  kept  for  a 
period  longer  than  twenty-four  hours  ;  but  for  ordinary 
usage  in  the  family  this  temperature  need  not  be  con- 
sidered, unless  under  a  physician's  advice ;  as,  for  ex- 
ample, in  cases  of  summer  complaint  in  early  infancy, 
when  the  higher  temperature  might  be  desirable.  The 
degree  of  167°  F.  may  be  applied  to  the  entire  mixture 


46  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

of  ingredients  called  for,  including  the  lime  water,  which 
is  changed  by  the  higher  temperature  of  21 2°  F. ;  hence, 
in  the  event  of  21 2°  F.  being  used,  the  lime  water  must 
be  added  to  each  feeding  when  it  is  given  to  the  child. 
There  are  various  devices  offered  for  the  application 
of  an  exact  degree  of  heat  to  milk,  notably  the  Walker- 
Gordon  laboratory  sterilizer,  the  Arnold  steamer.  Dr. 
Freeman's  pasteurizer,  and  one  designed  by  Dr.  Decker, 
of  Kingston,  New  York.  Exact  directions  are  given 
with  each,  and  any  one  of  them  may  be  readily  pro- 
cured by  any  druggist.  The  Walker-Gordon  sterilizer 
is  constructed  upon  scientific  j^rinciples,  and  is  to  be 
used  with  a  thermometer.  Dr.  Rotch's  directions  in 
"  Pediatrics''  for  the  use  of  this  apparatus  are  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  recjuisite  amount  of  food  for  one  feeding 
is  poured  into  each  of  the  tubes.  They  are  stoppled 
with  cotton- wool,  care  being  taken  to  have  a  reasonably 
tight  stopple  in  and  a  dry  neck  to  the  tubes.  The 
tubes  are  then  placed  in  the  rack  and  lowered  into  the 
sterilizer,  and  the  water  in  the  sterilizer  is  adjusted  to 
the  level  of  the  milk  in  the  tubes.  Heat,  by  means 
of  a  lamp  or  stove,  is  then  applied  to  the  sterilizer, 
which  is  watched,  with  the  cover  off,  until  the  ther- 
mometer shows  that  the  water-bath  has  reached  a  point 
of  77.2°  C.  (171°  F.).  The  lamp  is  removed  as  soon 
as  this  temperature  is  reached,  the  cover  put  in  place, 
and  the  cozy  over  it.  The  thermometer  should  mark 
a  temperature  of  between  75°  C.  (167°  F.)  and  77.6° 
C.  (170°  F.)  for  thirty  minutes,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  time  the  tubes  are  to  be  removed  from  the  steril- 
izer and  are  to  be  kept  in  a  cool  place,  preferably  the 
ice-chest,  until  needed.^' 


INFANT  FEEDING. 


4=? 


The  Freeman  pasteurizer  was  designed  very  accu- 
rately for  household  convenience  by  Eowland  Godtrey 


Freeman,  M.D.,  of  ISTew  York,  and  is  said  not  to 
require  the  use  of  a  thermometer,  as  a  definite  tem- 
perature of  about  75°  C.  (167°  F.)  is  reached  by  the 
process. 


(Patent  applied  for.) 

R,  reservoir;  C,  cover;  W,  water-gauge;  S,  support  for  rack;  T,  ther- 
mometer; K,  water-cup  for  thermometer;  Z,  water-tap;  X,  rack;  H, 
handle ;  B,  cell;  A,  sterilizing-cap  for  cell ;  P,  the  same  corked  with  cotton. 


The  Hygeia  sterilizer  is  arranged  so  that  the  ther- 
mometer can  be  watched  without  taking  off  the  cover, 
and  it  is  made  to  hold  the  bottles  mentioned  elsewhere. 


48 


HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 


The  Arnold  steamer  has  several  improvements.     It 
is  to  be  used  with  a  thermometer,  thi'ough  a  perfora- 


tion in  the  lid.     A  book  of  instructions  is  soon  to  be 
issued,  which  is  said  to  give  exphcit  directions  for 


INFANT  FEEDING. 


49 


■^? 


reaching  the  required  degree  both  with  the  old  and 
the  new  style  steamer. 

The  care  of  bottles,  nippies,  etc.,  is  naturally  an 
important  part  of  infant  feeding.  The  seamless  nip- 
ples made  in  Philadelphia,  and  described  by  me  some 
years  ago  in  "  Babyhood,^^  are  remarkably  easy  to 
keep  clean.  They  are  very  smooth,  care- 
fully punctured  (a  very  tiny  hole  being 
necessary,  that  the  infant  may  not  receive 
its  food  too  fast),  easily  cleaned,  and  they 
never  collapse.  When  clean  and  dry 
they  should  be  kept  in  a  covered  box  or 
dish,  or  wrapped  up  in  a  clean  napkin, 
and  just  before  using  them  they  should 
be  dipped  in  boiling  water.  This  must 
not  be  omitted.  The  usual  plan  is  to 
keep  them  in  a  tumbler  of  water  contain- 
ing soda,  etc.  I  have  tried  both  ways, 
and  am  convinced  that  the  former  method 
is  preferable. 

The  ^^  Hygeia'^  nursing  device  marks  a  step  in  ad- 
vance in  nursery  bottles  and  nipples,  as  may  readily 
be  seen  from  the  accompanying  illustration.  It  was 
designed  by  a  physician  *  to  resemble  in  every  possi- 
ble respect  the  natural  source  of  an  infant's  food,  and 
the  greatest  evident  advantages  are  the  ease  with  which 
both  tip  and  bottle  may  be  cleansed,  the  doing  away 
with  both  funnel  and  brush,  the  resemblance  to  the 
mother's  breast  (as  a  child  frequently  refuses  the  bottle, 
when  being  weaned,   on  account  of  the   size  of  the 


PAT.JUNEig^l894j 


*  William  More  Decker,  M.D.,  Kingston,  New  Yors. 
0        d  5 


50  S:OW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

nipple),  and  the  slow  feeding  resulting  from  the  care- 
fully punctured  holes. 

Milk-bottles  can  be  thoroughly  cleaned  by  rinsing 
first  with  cold  water,  then  washing  with  hot  soapsuds 
and  a  bottle-brush  that  is  clean.  The  brush  requires 
as  much  care  as  the  bottles,  a  fact  that  is  sometimes 
overlooked.  Rinse  the  bottles,  both  inside  and  out,  in 
an  abundance  of  flowing  clean  water,  preferably  under 
the  cold-water  faucet,  and  examine  each  bottle  care- 
fully to  see  that  there  is  no  cloudiness  or  speck  of 
milk  remaining.  They  may  then  be  placed  in  the  rack 
and  set  in  a  moderately  hot  oven  for  an  hour,  when 
they  will  be  sterile  and  ready  for  use,  or  they  may  be 
put  over  a  fire  in  a  boiler  filled  with  cold  water,  to 
boil  for  half  an  hour,  when  they  should  be  carefully 
drained  and  kept  free  from  dust.  Experiment  will 
show  that  the  oven  method  is  preferable,  as  the  bottles 
are  dry  and  ready  to  be  put  away  when  removed  from 
the  oven.  Care  should  be  taken  to  cool  the  oven 
slightly  by  opening  the  door  a  few  minutes  before  re- 
moving the  hot  bottles.  This  will  prevent  the  cracking 
that  might  result  upon  sudden  exposure  to  the  colder 
air  of  the  room. 

After  an  infant  has  been  fed,  the  empty  or  half- 
empty  bottle  of  milk  should  not  be  allowed  to  stand 
for  any  length  of  time.  It  should  be  emptied  directly, 
or  as  soon  as  possible,  and  be  rinsed  with  cold  water. 
It  may  then  await  a  convenient  time  for  washing  the 
entire  number  used  that  day.  A  careful  nursery-maid 
will,  however,  wash  and  heat  the  bottles  as  fast  as  they 
are  emptied,  which  is  decidedly  the  best  plan.  Phy- 
sicians and  fathers   know,  if  no  one  else  does,  how 


INFANT  FEEDING. 


61 


frequently  the  presence  of  a  baby  in  the  house  insures 
the  appearance  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  of  half- 
empty  or  unclean-looking  milk-bottles,  which  un- 
doubtedly cause  much  of  the  illness  usually  ascribed 
either  to  the  visitation  of  Providence  or  to  a  sup- 
posedly impure  supply  of  milk.  Careful  observation 
will  convince  many  that  not  one  cause  alone  is  the 
source  of  evils  met  with  constantly  in  infant  feeding. 

The  intervals  in  substitute  feeding  must  be  care- 
fully considered.  Dr.  Rotch's  table  for  intervals  in 
breast-feeding  (p.  25)  applies  equally  to  substitute  feed- 
ing.    His  table  for  amounts  is  as  follows  : 


GENERAL    RULES    FOR   FEEDING   DURING    THE   FIRST 

YEAR. 

The  day  feedings  are  supposed  to  begin  with  the  6  A.M.  feeding  and 
to  end  with  the  10  P.M.  feeding. 


<«  a    . 

«M 

to    ■ 

~  ■"    r^ 

o       to 

Age. 

1% 

0)    o 

umber 
ediugs 
4  Hour 

umber 
Night 
'eediug 

Amount  at 

each 

Feeding. 

Total  Amount 
in  24  Hours. 

1— 1 

;zi^=^ 

^     « 

CO. 

Oz. 

C.  C. 

Oz. 

1  week 

2 

10 

80 

1 

300 

10 

2  weeks 

2 

10 

45 

n 

450 

15 

4  weeks 

2 

9 

75 

^ 

675 

22^ 

6  weeks 

'Ih 

8 

90 

3 

720 

24 

8  weeks 

2h 

8 

100 

H 

840 

28 

3  months 

2h 

7 

0 

120 

4 

840 

28 

4  months 

2i 

7 

0 

135 

H 

'  945 

3U 

5  months     .... 

3 

6 

0 

165 

5i 

990 

33 

6  months 

3 

6 

0 

175 

5| 

1035 

34J 

7  months 

3 

6 

0 

190 

H 

1125 

37^ 

8  months 

3 

6 

0 

210 

7 

1260 

42 

9  months 

3 

6 

0 

210 

7 

1260 

42 

10  months 

3 

5 

0 

255 

H 

1275 

42i 

11  months 

3 

5 

0 

265 

8| 

1312 

43J 

12  months 

3 

5 

0 

270 

9 

1350 

45 

The  above  table  is  given  as  a  safe  average  to  begin 
with.    Dr.  Rotch  says  it  is  so  important  to  avoid  stretch- 


52 


HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 


ing  an  organ  so  easily  distensible  as  the  stomach  that  it 
is  wiser  to  give  too  little  lather  than  too  much  food  in 
the  early  days  of  life.  An  unusually  heavy  child 
might  require  a  little  more ;  for  instance,  a  child  weigh- 


^ 

Cv^ 


r 


^ 


z— — 


oo 

0^ 


ing  ten  pounds  at  birth  would,  according  to  tables 
regulated  by  weight,  require  IJ  ounces  instead  of  1 
ounce  at  a  feeding,  if  in  a  healthy  condition  ;  but  this 
the  attending  physician  should  determine.  Dr.  Rotch 
advises  the  use  of  a  set  of  graduated  feeding-tubes 


INFANT  FEEDING. 


53 


during  the  more  important  periods  of  growth,  for  the 
purpose  of  continually  impressing  upon  the  mother  and 
the  nurse  what  the  physician  often  has  the  opportunity 
of  telling  them  only  at  the  beginning  of  the  nursing 
period, — namely,  that  the  error  is  in  giving  too  much 
food  rather  than  too  little.  This  error  naturally  re- 
sults when,  as  is  commonly  the  case,  the  usual  eight- 
ounce  nursing-bottle  is  used  at  the  very  beginning  of 
infantile  life. 

He  says  he  has  found  that  he  can  easily  convince 
most  mothers  of  the  mistaken  zeal  of  nurses  who 
advocate  giving  the  young  infant  large  amounts  of 
food,  by  showing  them  the  size  of  the  infant's  stomach 
at  birth  (A)  and  comparing  this  small  tube  (B)  which 


corresponds  to  the  stomach's  capacity  with  an  eight- 
ounce  nursing-bottle. 

If  my  readers  still  think  they  can  decide  for  them- 
selves  upon  "  what  to   feed   the  baby/'  in  defiance 

5* 


54 


HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 


of  well-established  principles  in  infant  dietetics,  and 
ignoring  the  fact  entirely  that  it  is  unsafe  for  the  laity 
to  decide  upon  so  important  a  question,  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  they  will  at  least  bear  in  mind  the  follow- 
ing facts  :  that  it  is  at  all  times  advisable  (1)  to  insure 
purity  of  milk  by  heating  to  about  167°  F.  for  tenor 


B 


i:^ 


fifteen  minutes,  (2)  to  dilute  milk  with  boiled  water, 
for  the  first  nine  or  ten  months  of  the  first  year  of  an 
infant's  life,  beginning  with  at  least  half  water  to  half 
milk  for  an  infant  one  month  old,  (3)  to  add  cream  to 
each  bottle  of  diluted  milk  in  order  to  supply  the  fat 
lost  by  dilution,  (4)  to  add  milk-sugar  and  a  little 
lime  water,  according  to  some  reputable  physician's 


INFANT  FEEDING.  55 

formula,  or  that  of  a  milk-laboratory,  and  (5)  to  add 
carefully  prepared  cereal  foods  very  gradually  at  the 
proper  time,  not  before  eight  months  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, and  preferably  not  until  the  end  of  the 
first  year.  If,  however,  the  whole  duty  owed  to  chil- 
dren is  fully  appreciated  by  those  in  charge  of  their 
welfare,  all  uncertain  methods  will  be  avoided  and 
every  point  relating  to  the  feeding  of  a  child,  from  in- 
fancy to  adolescence,  will  be  carefully  considered  and 
its  importance  be  fully  estimated.  Dr.  Rotch  says 
truly  that  the  subject  is  a  great  one,  worthy  of  the 
attention  of  the  greatest  minds  of  the  age,  and  that 
the  responsibility  of  discussing  so  serious  a  question 
is  a  grave  one,  that  should  be  taken  up  carefully  and 
dealt  with  broadly.  He  says  'Hhe  preventive  medi- 
cine of  early  life  becomes  pre-eminently  the  intelligent 
management  of  the  nutriment  which  enables  young 
human  beings  to  breathe  and  grow  and  live.^^ 


CHAPTEE    III. 
Cereals,  Bread,  Crackers,  and  Cake. 

CEREALS. 

Cereals  are  a  necessary  food  for  growing  children, 
as  they  are  rich  in  the  constituents  required  for  energy 
and  for  tissue-building,  and  promote  fine  muscular  de- 
velopment. As  more  of  tissue  food  is  needed  when 
the  body  is  growing  rapidly  than  in  adult  life  when 
repair  alone  is  called  for,  cereal  foods  must  not  be 
neglected  at  the  proper  time.  Starch  being  the  pre- 
dominant constituent,  it  is  evident  that  great  care  must 
be  exercised  in  cooking  the  various  grains  allowable  in 
the  nursery,  always  keeping  in  view  the  fact  that  a 
double  boiler  of  agate  or  porcelain  is  necessary,  and 
that  long  cooking  increases  digestibility.  It  is  im- 
portant to  know  what  you  want  to  accomplish  when 
cooking  cereals.  All  starchy  foods  shonld  be  cooked 
long  enough  to  be  jDut  in  a  condition  to  be  easily  acted 
upon  by  the  digestive  juices.  The  purpose  in  pre- 
paring them  is  to  secure  the  bursting  of  the  granules 
and  the  liberation  of  the  starch  by  the  highest  tem- 
perature it  is  possible  to  reach,  that  it  may  be  acted 
upon  by  the  beat  and  be  partially  changed  into  a  sub- 
stance called  dextrine,  which  is  easily  digested.  An 
extremely  high  and  prolonged  temperature  is  required 
for  this  change,  without  w^hich  cereals  are  not  nu- 
tritious and  are  likely  to  cause  digestive  troubles, 
56 


CEREALS.  57 

Starch  foods  imperfectly  cooked  undergo  fermentation, 
therefore  it  is  necessary  that  this  method  of  cooking 
grains  be  followed  for  the  nursery.  Diastase,  a  sub- 
stance found  in  growing  grains  and  used  in  malt  ex- 
tracts, is  sometimes  used  for  this  purpose,  especially 
for  children  who  are  ill  or  convalescent,  as  it  effects  a 
more  complete  change  of  the  starch,  thereby  saving  an 
appreciable  amount  of  force  in  the  alimentary  tract, 
but  it  should  be  used  by  medical  advice  only,  as  a 
healthy  child,  if  properly  fed  from  the  first,  should 
not  need  it. 

The  following  cereals  are  all  suitable  for  nursery 
use:  granulated  or  crushed  wheat,  which  is  an  all- 
year-round  food,  possessing  no  fat,  and  requiring  cream 
to  make  it  a  perfect  winter  food ;  cornmeal,  a  winter 
food,  which  builds  up  strong  tissues  and  is  useful  in 
constipation;  purified  or  cooked  gluten,  the  latter  of 
which  is  always  ready  for  use;  oat  flour,  from  which 
a  delicious  blanc-mange  can  be  made ;  crushed  barley, 
which,  when  properly  cooked  in  milk  or  water,  is  an 
easily  digested  nursery  food,  and  when  mixed  with 
gluten,  half  and  half,  stirred  into  cold  water,  and 
afterwards  well  cooked,  is  extremely  palatable ;  farina, 
which  when  subjected  to  high  heat  in  preparation  be- 
comes a  desirable  and  nutritious  nursery  food,  used 
either  as  a  gruel,  a  porridge,  or  in  desserts. 

The  list  of  cereal  preparations  to  be  found  for  sale 
is  endless,  but  for  nursery  use  one  need  not  go  far  to 
find  a  few  perfectly  prepared  foods  of  this  class  that 
are  assimilable  when  properly  cooked,  and  Avhich  will 
supply  the  needs  of  growing  children  in  variety  as 
well  as  in  constituents.     Being   heat-producers,  they 


58  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

should  be  used  carefully  in  warm  weather ;  white 
hominy,  rice,  gluten,  barley,  rye,  and  wheat  prepara- 
tions are  the  most  desirable,  as  they  possess  little  or 
no  fat. 

Farinaceous  foods  should  not  be  used  at  all  during 
the  first  year,  unless  by  medical  advice,  and  they  must 
be  used  very  cautiously  even  in  the  second  year,  when 
milk  should  still  predominate  as  a  food. 

Oatmeal  is  the  usual  cereal  to  begin  with  in  the 
nursery,  as  it  contains  all  the  necessary  elements  for 
growth,  including  fat,  but  for  this  very  reason,  if  the 
use  of  cereals  is  begun  in  warm  weather,  wheat  is  pref- 
erable. When  cereals  are  first  given  to  children  after 
an  exclusive  milk  diet,  difficulty  in  digesting  them  is 
sometimes  experienced.  The  change  must  be  made 
very  gradually.  Fairchild's  peptogenic  powder  may  be 
used  in  a  very  simple  and  satisfactory  way  with  cereals 
if  any  trouble  is  manifest,  by  sprinkling  it  lightly 
upon  porridge  or  any  starchy  food,  using  care  to  have 
the  food  warm — not  hot.  AVhen  used  in  this  way  it 
should  not  be  relied  upon  for  any  length  of  time,  but 
should  be  gradually  discontinued  as  strength  for  digest- 
ing starchy  foods  increases.  A  little  observation  will 
soon  show  whether  it  is  advisable  or  necessary.  Where 
there  is  doubt  the  child's  physician  should  be  consulted. 
When  used  in  this  way  it  should  be  considered  a  tem- 
porary aid  only. 

For  preparing  cereals  the  proportions  of  water, 
milk,  salt,  etc.,  may  readily  be  learned  from  any  cook- 
book, or  from  a  little  experience,  individual  preferences 
requiring  various  amounts  for  the  consistency  desired. 
Personally,  I  prefer  the  use  of  a  larger  proportion  of 


BREAD  AND   CRACKERS.  59 

water  than  Is  usually  given.  They  should  be  served 
preferably  with  salt  and  cream ;  however,  in  cases  of 
particularly  active  digestion  and  where  dietaries  are 
well  regulated  a  little  pure  sugar  (granulated)  may  be 
allowed. 

BREAD   AND   CE ACKERS. 

The  government  reports  of  the  adulteration  of  bread 
with  alum,  sulphate  of  copper,  ammonia,  flours  other 
than  wheat,  inferior  grades  of  flour,  damaged  pease, 
ground  rice,  cornmeal,  etc.,  should  be  sufficient  to  con- 
vince the  most  sceptical  mother  that  for  nursery  use 
well-made  home-made  bread  is  infinitely  preferable  to 
ordinary  baker's  bread.  According  to  these  same  re- 
ports, flour  is  rarely  adulterated.  For  many  years  the 
white  flour  of  commerce  was  considered  the  most  de- 
sirable, but  during  recent  years,  with  the  advances 
made  in  the  study  of  dietetics,  the  nutrient  value  of 
the  gluten  of  the  wheat  grain  has  become  appreciated, 
ana  improved  methods  of  milling  have  been  adopted, 
which  prepare  wheat  in  such  a  way  as  to  preserve  the 
dark  layer  of  gluten  which,  when  remaining  in  the 
flour,  changes  its  color  from  white  to  brownish  yellow. 
This  gluten  is  a  necessary  constituent  for  the  perfect 
food  that  wheat  should  be,  containing  as  it  does  all  the 
elements  that  form  muscle,  blood,  and  brain,  being  de- 
ficient only  in  fat,  which  may  be  supplied,  if  desired, 
by  the  use  of  oat  flour,  in  the  proportion  of  one-third, 
but  for  general  use  for  bread  in  the  nursery  there  is 
little  necessity  for  any  meal  beyond  a  good  wheat 
flour,  as  the  necessary  fat  may  be  supplied  by  the  use 
of  good  butter  spread  upon  the  bread.     For  growing 


60  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

children  who  are  restricted  in  a  mixed  diet  whole  meal 
bread  is  vastly  to  be  preferred  to  that  made  from  the 
whiter  flours  of  less  nutrition,  as  it  supplies  nutrients 
usually  received  by  adults  through  other  articles  of 
food.  Well-baked  cornmeal  bread  or  muffins  may  be 
used,  at  certain  ages,  in  fall  and  winter,  as  an  occa- 
sional variation,  as  cornmeal  is  heating,  nourishing, 
and  easily  digested,  but  care  must  be  taken  to  have  the 
meal  fresh,  and  not  to  use  the  bread  when  freshly 
baked ;  in  fact,  all  bread  for  the  nursery  should  be  at 
least  one  day  old,  and  should  be  thoroughly  baked. 
Very  few  people  of  the  present  day  realize  or  will  ac- 
knowledge how  many  intestinal  disorders  are  caused 
by  the  use  of  new  bread,  hot  biscuit,  etc.  Their  use 
should  be  strictly  forbidden  in  the  nursery,  and  well- 
made  bread  or  cake  is  always  improved  by  being  kept 
a  day  before  using,  care  being  taken  to  keep  it — not 
wrapped  in  a  cloth — in  a  perfectly  dry  covered  box: 
tin  being  better  than  wood,  as  it  does  not  grow  musty. 
Good  bread  should  possess  moisture,  but  not  noticeably 
so.  It  should  be  of  a  yellowish-white  color,  and  have 
a  sweet,  nutty  flavor.  It  should  also  be  of  such  a  con- 
sistency as  to  crumble  very  easily.  Practical  experi- 
ence is  the  best  teacher  when  one  is  endeavoring  to  reach 
these  conditions. 

The  gluten  flour  advised  above  absorbs  more  water 
than  ordinary  starchy  flours,  and  needs  less  yeast. 
Brewer's  yeast,  which  gives  a  good  flavor  on  account 
of  the  hops  used,  or  good  home-made  yeast,  is  not 
undesirable,  but  in  these  busy  days  no  one  need  hesi- 
tate to  save  time  and  trouble  by  using  the  commercial 
compressed  yeast  of  deservedly  good  repute,  as  it  an- 


BREAD  AND   CRACKERS.  61 

swers  every  purpose.  Heated  railk  may  be  used  for 
mixing  instead  of  water^  if  preferred,  but  a  very  good 
bread  may  be  made  very  easily  as  follo^YS,  according  to 
a  recipe  given  by  a  cook  who  learned  her  art  in  Ireland. 
Her  method  reverses  the  usual  directions  in  regard  to 
the  temperature  of  the  oven,  which,  judging  from  the 
delicious  results,  is  a  very  sensible  procedure.  The 
ease  with  which  the  bread  is  made  will  commend  it  to 
the  busy  housewife.     Begin  in  the  morning  : 

Flour,  three  quarts,  sifted  in  a  large  bowl ; 

Salt,  two  heaping  tablespoonfuls  ; 

Sugar,  four  heaping  tablespoonfuls  ; 

Water,  or  milk  and  water,  two  quarts,  lukewarm  ; 

Yeast,  one  cake ; 

Lard,  three  heaping  tablespoonfuls. 

Put  the  salt,  sugar,  and  lard  into  the  flour,  and  rub 
the  lard  fine  by  crumbling  it  lightly  between  the  hands. 
Use  warmed  flour,  especially  in  winter.  Flour  should 
always  be  warm  for  best  results  in  baking.  A  good 
plan  is  to  keep  constantly  on  hand  near  the  fire  a  bag 
or  covered  pan  of  well-dried  flour  for  bread,  cake,  or 
biscuit.  Dissolve  the  yeast  in  the  warm  water,  and 
pour  it  over  the  flour,  mixing  with  the  hands ;  then 
sift  in  gradually  a  quart  or  more  of  flour,  adding  until 
the  dough  can  be  turned  out  on  the  board.  Knead 
lightly  from  ten  to  fifteen  minutes,  adding  flour  until 
the  loaf  does  not  stick  to  the  board.  Put  it  back  in 
the  bowl,  cover  lightly,  and  let  it  rise  in  a  temperature 
of  about  75°  F.  for  three  hours.  Cut  into  loaves 
and  put  into  buttered  pans,  letting  them  rise  on  the 
rack  above  the  range,  or  in  a  place  of  equal  tempera- 
ture, for  half  an  hour,  when  they  will  be  ready  to  be 

6 


62  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

placed  in  a  moderately  quick  oven.  After  half  an 
hour,  as  the  bread  rises  in  the  oven,  increase  the  heat 
slowlv  to  the  end  of  the  time  required  to  bake  the 
loaves.  The  time  to  be  allowed  for  baking  an  aver- 
age-sized loaf  is  one  and  a  quarter  hours.  The  usual 
plan  in  baking  bread  is  to  begin  vrith  a  temperature 
of  400°  F.,  gradually  lowering  to  250°  F.,  with  the 
frequent  result  of  a  loaf  of  bread  that  is  soggy  in  the 
inside  and  very  hard  on  the  outside.  In  the  above 
method  the  reverse  is  the  case.  The  result  should  be 
dry,  well-baked,  evenly  browned  loaves  of  bread,  that 
still  retain  enough  moisture  to  keep  them  as  they 
should  be.  The  use  of  an  oven  thermometer  is  advised. 
The  art  of  making  good  bread  is  certainly  one  of 
the  most  important  cooking  processes  to  which  atten- 
tion should  be  directed  in  the  present  era  of  reform  in 
dietetics  and  household  science.  The  digestibility  of 
bread  and  its  nutritive  properties  depend  very  largely 
upon  the  mode  of  preparation  and  the  kind  of  flour 
employed.  (Yeo.)  Coarse  meal  breads  are  unfit  for  the 
nursery,  as  they  are  usually  heavy  and  indigestible. 
Bauer  observes  of  bread  made  of  coarse,  adhesive 
meal,  ^'  Such  adhesive  breads  are  very  imperfectly 
utilized  by  the  human  organs  of  digestion,  since  the 
irritation  they  cause  to  the  mucous  membrane  of  the 
alimentary  canal  leads  to  a  rapid  progress  and  early 
evacuation  of  its  contents.'^  This  explains  the  occa- 
sional use  of  such  bread  for  adults,  but  other  methods 
should  be  employed  in  the  nursery  for  a  difficulty 
which  need  not  exist  with  the  proper  care  of  diet. 
The  use  of  bread  made  from  the  whole  grain  meal 
should  be  encouraged  for  children,  for  the  following 


BREAD  AND   CRACKERS.  63 

reasons :  they  must  be  restricted  in  a  meat  diet,  there- 
fore such  bread  supplies  a  much-needed  addition;  it 
contains  forty  instead  of  twenty  per  cent,  of  gluten, 
and  contains  twice  as  large  a  proportion  of  certain 
salts — chiefly  phosphates — as  white  bread ;  it  con- 
tains also  the  laxative  fatty  matter  upon  which  great 
dependence  is  placed  when  arranging  a  dietary  for 
children. 

Some  idea  of  the  proportions  of  nutrients  in  beef, 
oysterSj  and  flour  may  be  gained  from  the  reports  of 
the  Storrs^  School  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Connecticut,  where  Professor  Atwater,  whose  diet 
articles  have  explained  much  that  has  hitherto  been 
but  vaguely  understood,  is  conducting  experiments 
that  will  mark  this  era  as  an  important  one  in  domestic 
science  in  its  relation  to  dietetics.  He  says  that  a 
quarter  of  a  dollar  invested  in  the  sirloin  of  beef  at 
twenty-two  cents  per  pound  pays  for  one  and  one- 
seventh  pounds  of  the  meat  with  three-eighths  of  a 
pound  of  actually  nutritive  material,  which  Avould 
supply  1120  calories  of  energy — i.e.,  heat — to  keep  the 
body  warm  and  give  muscular  power  for  work.  The 
same  amount  of  money  paid  for  oysters  at  the  rate  of 
fifty  cents  per  quart  secures  but  two  ounces  of  actual 
nutrients,  250  calories  of  energy.  But  in  buying 
wheat  flour  at  seven  dollars  a  barrel,  the  twenty-five 
cents  pay  for  six  and  a  quarter  pounds  of  nutrients 
and  11,755  calories  of  energy.  3500  calories  are 
said  by  Professor  Atwater  to  represent  the  American 
standard  for  the  fuel  value  to  be  derived  from  a  proper 
dietary  for  a  man  with  moderate  muscular  work.  It 
is  of  importance  that  facts  like  these  should  be  gen- 


64  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

erally  known^  as  this  knowledge  is  one  of  the  first 
steps  towards  dietary  reform. 

Points  to  remember  in  buying  flour  and  baking 
bread  are  that  a  good  bread  flour  does  not  cake  in  the 
hand  when  squeezed,  that  kneading  must  be  done 
lightly  to  keep  the  bread  porous,  and  that  the  temper- 
ature for  the  rising  of  the  sponge  should  be  from  70° 
to  80°  F.,  not  higher. 

The  use  of  bread  in  the  nursery  may  begin  as  early 
as  twelve  months  if  a  suflicient  number  of  teeth  are 
present,  which  should  be  the  case  at  this  age.  Dr. 
Rotch  says,  ^'  Good  butter  on  the  bread  may  usually  be 
allowed  at  sixteen  months.^^ 

In  some  form,  at  the  ages  indicated,  bread  or  crackers 
should  be  given  at  each  meal, — -i.e.,  stale  bread  or  crust 
of  French  bread,  zwieback,  toast,  and  Graham  bread, 
or  soda,  oatmeal,  Graham,  gluten,  or  educator  crackers. 
These  are  all  permissible  when  they  can  be  chewed 
thoroughly.  Oatmeal  and  Graham  crackers  belong 
to  laxative  foods,  and  should  be  used  accordingly. 
Jerome  Walker,  M.D.,  pertinently  says,  in  regard  to 
this  subject,*  that  ^^  probably,  with  the  exception  of 
candy,  no  article  that  is  eaten  is  so  much  abused  as  the 
animal-cracker.  Before  these  crackers  were  introduced 
children  w^ere  content  w^ith  a  few  butter,  soda,  milk,  or 
even  ordinary  sweet  crackers  at  one  time,  but  now  the 
child  is  anxious  to  eat  a  number  of  animals.  The 
cracker-maker,  detecting  this  propensity  in  children, 
furnishes  a  wonderful  assortment  of  animals,  and  the 
child  is  eager  to  eat  one,  at  least,  of  each  kind  pur= 

*  Babyhood. 


MORAVIAN  CAKE.  65 

chased.  The  mother  thinks  these  animals  are  so  nice 
for  the  children  to  play  with  that  frequently  she  sends 
out  for  a  half-pound  or  a  pound,  and  gives  them  to 
the  child  to  keep  him  quiet  as  he  is  trundled  along 
in  his  carriage.  What  is  the  consequence  of  so  much 
sugar  and  starch?  It  perverts  the  appetite,  teaches 
the  child  to  reject  soups,  broths,  bread  and  butter,  and 
milk,  and  to  prefer  sweets  and  pastries,  and  also  in- 
duces starchy  dyspepsia.^' 

The  use  of  zwieback  (twice-baked  bread)  can  be 
thoroughly  recommended.  It  possesses  the  advantage 
of  being  more  easily  digested  than  ordinary  bread  on 
account  of  the  complete  conversion  of  the  starch  into 
dextrine  as  the  result  of  the  double  baking. 

The  following  recipe  may  be  used  for  zwieback,  for 
a  change  from  that  made  from  ordinary  home-made 
bread  : 

MORAVIAN   CAKE. 

This  is  best  when  started  in  the  morning,  unless  the 
last  rising  can  be  attended  to  very  early  in  the  morning. 
If  this  can  be  done,  set  the  sponge  about  five  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  using  one  cup  of  potatoes  mashed  in  one 
cup  of  the  water  in  which  they  were  boiled,  one  cap  of 
sugar,  one-half  cake  of  yeast  dissolved  in  a  little  warm 
water,  with  flour  enough  to  make  a  thick  batter.  Cover 
and  keep  in  a  warm  place  (about  80°  F.);  beat  oc- 
casionally during  the  evening,  and  at  ten  or  eleven 
o'clock  mix  in  the  batter  one  cup  of  sugar,  three  eggs, 
and  three-quarters  of  a  cup  of  lard  and  butter,  a  pinch 
of  cinnamon,  and  enough  flour  to  stiffen,  kneading  it 
well  into  a  dough  that  will  not  stick  to  the  sides  of  the 

e  6* 


Q6  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

bowl.  Leave  it  well  covered,  in  a  temperature  of  70° 
to  75°  F.,  until  early  in  the  morning,  shape  into  loaves 
or  any  form  desired,  let  rise  for  half  an  hour,  spread 
the  cake  wdth  a  sauce  made  of  a  cup  of  sugar,  one 
tablespoonful  of  hot  water,  a  small  piece  of  butter,  and 
enough  cinnamon  to  darken  the  sauce,  and  bake  in  a 
moderate  oven. 

The  above  may  be  used  as  sweet  bread,  cake,  or 
toast.  By  cutting  it  into  thin  slices,  buttering  it  lightly, 
and  browning  delicately  in  the  oven,  you  have  a  deli- 
cious change  for  the  frequently  stereotyped  nursery 
menu. 

A  word  of  caution  should  be  heeded  when  making 
toast.  It  should  be  done  in  such  a  manner  as  to  dry 
it  thoroughly  in  the  middle  before  browning  takes 
place.  Soggy,  quickly  made  toast  is  decidedly  not 
allowable  in  the  nursery. 

A  simple  sponge  or  tea  cake  may  be  used  occasion- 
ally, when  given  with  moderation  to  children  over 
five,  either  in  the  form  of  lady-fingers,  or  as  the  ordi- 
nary sponge  or  tea  cake  made  by  the  average  cook.  It 
must  be  w^ell  baked,  not  fresh,  and  should  be  just  as 
light  and  porous  as  good  bread  should  be,  not  notice- 
ably moist,  nor  rich,  nor  full  of  fruit. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Broths  and  Soups. 

The  first  point  to  impress  well  upon  the  mind  in 
making  broths  and  soups  for  the  nursery  is  that  good 
material  must  be  used^  and  that  the  meat  must  be 
treated  in  such  a  manner  as  to  extract  the  nutritious 
juices.  This  cannot  be  done  by  using  hot  or  boiling 
<vater^  which,  incredible  as  it  may  seem  to  those  who 
know  better,  is  frequently  done.  Cold  salted  water 
must  be  used,  and  the  meat  should  be  allowed  to  soak 
in  the  water  for  several  hours  before  it  is  subjected  to 
heat.  Even  then  it  should  only  simmer  (not  exceed- 
ing 160°  F.).  At  the  last  it  may  be  boiled  for  one 
or  two  hours  to  dissolve  the  gelatin  of  the  bones, 
etc.,  if  they  are  used,  but  this  is  not  necessary,  as 
chopped  lean  meat  is  preferable  for  nursery  use,  and 
a  continued  low  temperature  without  boiling  will  pro- 
duce a  very  nutritious  broth.  The  time  for  simmer- 
ing may  be  regulated  by  the  requirements  of  the 
household,  the  minimum  time  being  two  hours.  If 
the  broth  is  to  be  used  the  same  day,  it  is  well  to  have 
the  meat  delivered  at  an  early  hour,  as  this  will  allow 
ample  time  for  the  entire  process  before  the  hour  of 
nursery  dinner,  using  ice  for  cooling  and  skimming, 
which  must  be  carefully  done.  It  is  preferable,  how- 
ever, to  have  it  made  the  day  previous,  as  then  every 
particle  of  fat  can  be  removed.     Fat  plays  a  very 

67 


68  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

important  part  in  nursery  diet^  but  it  is  not  to  be 
served  floating  upon  poorly  made  soups.  The  greatest 
'care  should  be  exercised  in  this  direction. 
!  Chopped  lean  beef  or  mutton  (from  the  neck  prefer- 
ably), a  half-pound  daily,  with  one  pint  of  water, 
different  vegetable  seasonings,  with  a  little  veal  added 
to  the  broth  occasionally,  should  give  sufficient  variety, 
with  the  addition  of  milk  and  chicken  broths,  for  che 
requirements  of  any  nursery.  Yet,  if  for  any  reason 
it  is  desirable  to  have  something  different,  there  are 
many  well-recommended  recipes  from  which  to  select. 
For  children  over  fourteen  months  of  age  rice,  tapioca, 
barley,  or  sago  may  be  added  to  beef  or  mutton  broth, 
half  a  tablespoonful  to  the  pint,  but  it  must  be  thor- 
oughly cooked.  Different  vegetables  may  be  added 
later  in  the  same  way,  to  give  variety  for  children 
over  two  and  a  half  years  old,  spinach,  celery,  onions, 
and  cauliflower  being  especially  useful  from  a  dietetic 
stand-point.  Macaroni  in  its  various  forms  may  also 
be  used  as  an  addition,  and  makes  a  pleasant  change. 
If,  in  making  broths,  the  measure  given  is  reduced  by 
cooking,  add  sufficient  water  to  keep  to  its  original 
quantity.  When  using  parsley  for  seasoning,  do  not 
mince  it  in  the  usual  way.  Children  will  frequently 
object  to  it,  and  by  using  a  bunch  uncut  the  same 
result  will  be  attained.  This  applies  as  well  to  celery, 
'spinach,  cauliflower,  and  onions.  Children  have  been 
educated  to  eat  these  vegetables  without  any  trouble 
beyond  first  introducing  them  into  some  favorite  soup, 
not  using  too  much  at  first,  and  having  even  that 
pressed  through  a  puree  sieve,  gradually  increasing 
the  quantity  until  the  taste  is  acquired.     This  is  not 


BROTHS  AND  SOUPS.  69 

always  necessary,  as  in  some  instances  the  little  ones 
take  kindly  to  and  enjoy  them  from  the  first.  The 
suggestion  is  given  for  those  mothers  who  find  diffi- 
culty in  getting  children  of  three  or  four  to  eat  juicy 
vegetables,  which  are  an  important  adjunct  to  nursery 
fare.  Dr.  Yale  says,*  ^^  The  value  of  these  vegetables 
is  not  so  much  from  their  nutritiousness,  which  is  not 
very  high,  as  because  of  the  salts  they  contain,  and  be- 
cause they  are  palatable  to  many.  By  reason  of  the 
salts,  they  are  useful  as  preventives  of  scurvy,  a  dis- 
ease, however,  not  common  in  childhood,  except  when 
the  diet  has  been  particularly  restricted.  They  should 
all  be  very  thoroughly  cooked,  and  if  passed  through 
a  puree  sieve  will  generally  agree.  But  for  some 
digestions  the  flatulent  tendency  of  the  onions  and 
cauliflower  cannot  be  gotten  rid  of  even  in  this  way." 

Cooks  should  be  instructed  to  save  all  the  water  in 
which  these  vegetables  have  been  boiled  (taking  it 
for  granted  that  they  have  previously  been  properly 
washed),  as  there  is  nothing  more  delicious  to  add  to 
stock  than  these  flavored  waters.  They  can  also  be 
utilized  in  making  milk  broth,  which  is  nutritious  as 
well  as  stimulating.  Many  an  adult  who  dislikes 
milk,  hot  or  cold,  would  be  surprised,  were  he  to  try 
it,  to  find  how  palatable  a  well-seasoned  hot  milk 
broth  can  be,  and  how  quickly  it  drives  away  that 
tired  feeling  which  is  the  natural  result  of  a  busy 
day. 

In  making  broths  or  soups  use  agate,  porcelain,  or 
earthenware ;  metallic  utensils  give  a  bitter  taste.     A 

*  Nursery  Problems. 


70  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

close  cover  is  also  necessary  to  prevent  evaporation 
and  to  keep  out  the  dust. 

The  following  recipe,  given  for  a  nutritious  beef 
broth,  will  prove  a  comfort  to  busy  mothers,  as  chil- 
dren rarely  tire  of  it,  and  it  can  be  made  in  quantity, 
keeping  perfectly  in  a  cool  place.  There  is  then  very 
little  labor  connected  with  this  portion  of  the  dinner 
to  be  prepared  daily  beyond  changing  the  seasoning 
from  day  to  day.  Another  point  in  its  favor  is  that 
it  may  be  taken  from  a  cup  or  glass,  consequently  the 
busy  mother  is  free  to  attend  to  the  remainder  of  the 
dinner,  or  to  take  a  moment's  rest  while  the  little  ones 
are  enjoying  their  broth.  Young  children  are  gener- 
ally better  able  to  handle  a  cup  or  glass  carefully  than 
a  spoon.  These  things  may  appear  trifling  to  many, 
but  a  little  rest  is  a  priceless  boon  to  a  tired  mother, 
who  too  often  pays  little  attention  to  her  own  require- 
ments in  any  direction. 

BEEF   BEOTH. 

The  materials  needed  are  chopped  lean  beef,  cold 
salted  water,  in  the  proportion  of  a  pound  of  meat  to 
a  quart  of  water  for  children  two  and  three  years  of 
age,  and  a  pint  of  water  and  one  large  onion  cut  into 
pieces  for  children  over  three.  Soak  the  meat,  aud 
onion  if  used,  in  the  cold  water  for  two  hours  at  least 
(six  is  better)  in  the  vessel  in  which  it  is  to  be  cooked, 
keeping  it  on  ice  or  in  a  cool  place  during  this  time. 
Then  set  it  upon  the  back  of  the  range,  or,  if  it  is  to 
be  made  upon  a  gas,  alcohol,  or  oil  stove,  use  a  double 
boiler,  aud  keep  the  heat  moderate  by  regulating  the 
flame.     Keep  the  vessel  covered,  and  allow  the  broth 


BROTHS  AND  SOUPS.  71 

to  simmer,  keeping  up  the  original  quantity  of  water 
for  three  hours  at  least.  Let  it  cool  overnight,  remove 
the  fat  in  the  morning,  and  keep  covered  in  a  cool  place 
until  needed.  If  this  is  done,  and  the  entire  quantity 
is  reheated  to  the  boiling-point  every  time  that  some 
of  it  is  used  it  can  be  kept  in  winter  for  several  days. 
An  Arnold  nursery  cooker  may  be  used  very  satisfac- 
torily in  making  this  or  any  other  meat  broth. 

The  variety  of  seasoning  should  be  considered  when 
preparing  the  dinner  for  the  general  household,  as  labor 
is  thus  economized.  For  instance,  if  spinach  is  to  be 
cooked  for  late  dinner,  a  portion  of  it  pressed  through 
a  pur6e  sieve,  with  some  of  the  water  in  which  it  was 
boiled,  should  be  saved  for  the  children's  broth  next 
day,  care  being  taken  to  have  it  put  on  ice  in  china, 
glass,  or  agate,  closely  covered.  (Spinach  to  be  delicate 
must  be  boiled  rapidly  in  a  large  quantity  of  water.) 
There  will  be  no  danger  of  the  little  ones'  growing  tired 
of  an  endless  succession  of  plain  meat  broths,  if  the 
vegetables  allowable  in  the  nursery  are  used  in  this 
way  for  variety. 

Alternate  the  above  for  children  over  three  years  of 
age  with  any  of  the  following  soups,  as  they  may  fill 
in  with  the  general  household  cooking ;  but  it  is  ad- 
visable to  have  the  beef  broth  on  hand  at  all  times  to 
be  provided  for  emergencies. 

MILK   SOUP. 

Ingredients  required :  one  pint  of  milk,  one  quart 
of  boiling  water,  two  onions,  salt,  a  teaspoonful  of 
butter,  one  heaping  teaspoonful  of  flour. 

Boil  the  onions  tender,  and  press  through  a  puree 


72  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

sieve  into  the  water  in  which  they  were  boiled,  using 
an  agate  saucepan,  adding  sufficient  boiling  water  to 
make  a  quart.  Season  with  salt,  add  the  milk,  rub 
the  butter  and  flour  together,  and  stir  into  the  soup, 
bringing  it  to  the  boiling-point,  stirring  all  the  time. 
Serve  hot,  as  a  tepid  milk  soup  is  abominable.  By 
the  time  the  little  ones  are  ready  to  take  it  the  tem- 
perature will  be  about  right.  This  soup  may  be  varied 
in  endless  ways  with  the  vegetable  waters  indicated 
above,  or  with  vegetables,  chopped  oysters,  chicken 
jelly,  etc. 

CHICKEN   BROTH. 

Cut  up  a  fowl  (not  a  young  chicken)  into  small 
pieces,  rejecting  the  fat  and  skin  unless  the  latter  is 
white  and  tender,  cover  with  cold  water,  and  simmer 
gently  for  six  hours.  Cool  overnight,  and  remove 
the  fat.  A  four-pound  chicken  will  make  two  quarts 
of  broth.  A  little  gelatin  dissolved  in  every  cupful 
is  useful  in  cases  of  convalescence,  especially  during 
digestive  difficulties,  and  it  may  be  used  generally  in 
the  nursery.  The  broth  may  also  be  thickened  with 
corn  starch,  flour,  or  arrow-root. 

Chicken  milk  is  a  particularly  delicate  preparation, 
and  can  be  made  readily  from  the  above  if  the  broth 
has  jellied.  If  not,  it  must  be  further  reduced.  Put 
in  a  saucepan  a  stalk  of  white  celery  and  a  stalk  (not 
cut)  of  parsley  with  a  little  salt,  add  a  pint  of  the 
chicken  jelly  with  some  of  the  meat,  and  boil  until  it 
falls  from  the  bones.  Strain  and  add  the  same  quan- 
tity of  fresh  milk,  presupposing  that  the  pint  of  chicken 
broth  has  been  kept  intact.  Bring  this  to  the  boiling- 
point  several  times  and  strain  into  a  cup.     This  is 


BROTHS  AND  SOUPS.  73 

very  nutritious^  and  forms  a  slight  variety.     (Trained 
Nurse.) 

BARLEY   BROTH. 

This  broth  is  also  very  desirable  for  nursery  use. 
Take  the  best  end  of  a  neck  of  mutton  or  lamb^  cover 
with  two  quarts  of  cold  water,  and  add  a  teacupful  of 
crushed  barley.  Let  it  stand  upon  the  back  of  a  hot 
range  for  an  hour,  then  move  it  forward,  adding  at 
this  time  the  vegetables  desired,  cut  into  small  pieces, 
and  let  it  simmer  for  five  hours. 

Cool  overnight.  Skim  and  season  with  salt.  It  is 
almost  impossible  to  skim  mutton  broth  thoroughly 
unless  it  has  stood  overnight.  Any  one  trying  to  do  so 
will  be  easily  convinced  of  the  truth  of  this  statement. 

I.  Burney  Yeo,  M.D.,  says,  ^'  Soup  at  the  beginning 
of  the  dinner  has  been  objected  to  on  the  ground  that 
it  diminishes  digestive  power  by  diluting  the  gastric 
juice,  and  this  objection  is  valid  if  a  large  quantity 
of  badly  made  soup  is  taken.  But  it  does  not  apply 
to  a  small  quantity — four  to  eight  ounces — of  well- 
made  clear  soup.  Such  a  fluid  disappears  quickly  on 
reaching  the  stomach,  as  it  is  rapidly  absorbed  by  the 
blood-vessels,  and  interferes  in  no  way  with  the  gastric 
juices.  Its  value  at  the  commencement  of  the  meals 
depends  on  the  fact  of  its  rapid  absorption  and  en- 
trance into  the  blood,  so  that  the  hungry  man  is 
quickly  refreshed.^^ 

This  will  explain  to  many  the  need  of  well-made 
soups,  and  will  also  indicate  why  the  preference  exists 
for  the  lighter  broths,  unless,  as  occasionally  happens, 
the  soup  is  made  the  principal  feature  of  the  meal, 
which  should  not  occur  in  the  nursery. 
»  7 


CHAPTER    V. 

Meats,  Eggs,  Fish,  Oysters,  Etc. 

The  object  in  cooking  meats  is  to  retain  as  much 
nourishment  and  flavor  as  possible,  and  the  process  is 
directly  opposite  to  that  for  making  soup,  a  low  tem- 
perature being  required  for  the  latter,  while  a  very  high 
one  is  necessary  for  the  former,  to  coagulate  quickly 
the  albumen  on  the  outside  surface  and  thus  confine 
the  nutritive  juices  within. 

There  are  many  methods  of  cooking  meats  for  gen- 
eral use,  but  for  the  nursery  it  is  desirable  to  broil, 
boil,  or  roast,  with  the  preference  for  broiling,  because 
it  gives  the  best  results  in  point  of  delicacy,  and,  if 
properly  done,  will  be  found  in  every  way  to  be  the 
most  satisfactory.  For  the  sake  of  convenience  alone, 
broiling  may  well  be  considered  and  preferred,  as  mid- 
day dinner  for  adults  is  rapidly  disappearing,  and  to 
roast  or  boil  large  joints  of  meat  for  possibly  one 
child's  dinner  is  not  generally  feasible. 

^^  Left-overs'^  are  decidedly  not  to  be  used  in  the 
nursery,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  in  many  houses 
cooked  and  uncooked  foods  of  various  kinds  are  kept  in 
uncovered  dishes  from  day  to  day  in  one  common 
refrigerator  or  closet,  absorbing  unwholesome  germs 
from  surroundings  that,  to  say  the  least,  are  not  sani- 
tary. That  such  difficulties  may  be  avoided,  where 
the  mother  for  sufficient  reason  is  unable  to  supervise 
74 


MEATS.  75 

affairs  in  her  own  kitchen,  it  is  always  safer  to  direct 
that  the  meats  given  to  the  children  be  broiled,  unless 
the  arrangements  of  the  house  will  allow  for  meat  that 
has  been  roasted  or  boiled  in  time  for  the  nursery  dinner. 
The  selection  of  meat  that  has  been  properly  hung  is 
as  important  as  the  cooking.  It  should  be  hung  for  a 
period  varying  from  seven  hours  to  six  days.  A 
reliable  meat  dealer  is  a  necessity  when  one  is  buying 
for  the  children.  He  is  in  a  better  position,  and  better 
able  to  jndge  and  select,  than  the  average  householder, 
and  it  is  a  comparatively  easy  matter  to  interest  him 
in  the  wants  of  the  children  and  the  necessity  for  the 
exercise  of  great  care  in  selection.  It  is  rather  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  choose  a  good  cut  of  meat.  Yeo  says 
that  which  contains  much  fat  is  generally  less  digest- 
ible and  less  palatable  than  lean  meat;  that  there  is 
less  nutritive  value  and  more  gelatin  in  the  meat  of 
young  animals  than  in  that  of  mature  ones ;  and  that 
beef  is  undoubtedly  the  most  nutritious  of  animal 
foods,  and  is  used  most  extensively.  The  best  por- 
tions for  nursery  use  are  from  the  loin  for  broiling, 
and  from  the  neck,  rump,  or  first  and  second  cut 
of  the  round  for  other  uses,  which  will  be  indicated. 
This  selection  is  independent  of  joints  for  roasting  or 
boiling.  Either  a  sirloin,  porterhouse,  or  tenderloin 
steak  is  most  suitable  for  broiling,  and  it  should  be  cut 
from  one  to  two  inches  thick — two  inches  is  better — to 
keep  the  meat  juicy.  Trim  off  the  fat,  wipe  with  a 
clean  damp  cloth,  place  in  a  heated  wire  broiler  which 
has  been  greased  to  prevent  sticking,  and  hold  directly 
over  a  glowing  bed  of  coals.  A  live  fire  is  necessary, 
not  one  that  has  begun  to  cool.     It  is  quite  an  art  to 


76  SOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

prepare  a  fire  for  broiling  that  will  keep  clear  and  hot 
to  the  end  of  the  process.  Xo  stint  of  coal  is  to  be 
allowed  for  one  hour  at  least  before  the  fire  is  needed. 
It  is  a  good  plan  to  direct  servants  to  see  to  it  or  to 
attend  to  it  personally  at  twelve  o'clock  for  one  o'clock 
dinner,  that  the  fire  is  clear  at  the  bottom,  that  enough 
fresh  coal  has  been  put  on,  and  that  it  is  then  allowed 
to  burn  by  regulating  the  draughts  so  that  it  will  be  a 
bed  of  glowing  coals  when  required.  The  steak  should 
be  turned  five  or  six  times  during  the  first  minute,  that 
the  outer  sealing  may  be  quickly  done ;  then  the 
broiler  must  be  held  farther  away,  and  the  meat  fin- 
ished more  slowly,  turning  at  this  stage  once  every 
half-minute  until  the  meat  is  done.  It  should  be  pink 
and  juicy  inside,  but  not  raw,  as  we  so  frequently  find 
it  when  served  as  so-called  rare  meat  in  hotels  or  res- 
taurants. Seven  to  ten  minutes  over  a  good  fire  will 
usually  cook  to  perfection  a  steak  from  an  inch  and  a 
half  to  two  inches  thick.  Have  the  plate  upon  which 
it  is  to  be  served  w^arm  (not  hot),  season  the  meat  with 
salt,  and  use  care  in  handling  it  that  the  surface  may 
not  be  broken  and  the  juice  lost.  For  nm^sery  use, 
salt  is  the  only  condiment  allowable.  Never  use  melted 
butter  on  the  meat ;  all  the  butter  required  by  children 
should  be  taken  as  cold  as  possible  upon  the  bread  that 
is  eaten,  not  upon  meat  or  vegetables  (except  in  cream 
sauce,  as  indicated  elsewhere),  if  freedom  from  indiges- 
tion is  desu-ed.  When  broiling  thin  steaks,  or  a  ten- 
derloin which  may  not  be  very  juicy  or  of  good  flavor, 
it  is  a  good  plan  to  lay  a  thin  piece  of  round  steak 
upon  both  sides  of  the  tenderloin  before  broiling,  and 
thus  get  a  delicious  steak,  discarding,  of  course,  the 


BOILED  MEATS.  77 

outer  pieces,  the  juice  of  which  has  entered  the  middle 
steak. 

Scraped  beef  makes  an  acceptable  change,  either 
cooked  or  raw,  w^hen  allowed  by  the  family  physician, 
and  it  may  be  used  at  an  earlier  age  than  meat  is  usually 
given.  Use  a  thick  cut  from  the  tender  part  of  the 
round  or  rump,  scrape  off  the  pulp  w^ith  a  silver  knife, 
rejecting  the  tough  fibre,  and  mould  it  into  cakes 
about  an  inch  thick ;  then  "broil  on  an  oyster  broiler 
as  you  would  an  ordinary  steak.  When  for  any  rea- 
son it  is  inconvenient  or  impossible  to  broil  a  steak  or 
scraped  meat,  heat  thoroughly  a  thick  iron  or  steel 
pan,  sprinkle  salt  over  it  to  prevent  sticking,  and 
cook  the  meat  in  the  same  manner  as  if  using  a  solid 
broiler,  turning  with  a  knife  or  spoon,  not  a  fork, 
that  no  juice  may  escape.  Turn  quickly  at  first  and 
have  the  pan  scorching  hot,  then  moderate  the  heat, 
and  finish  more  slowly.  Very  good  results  may  be 
obtained  in  this  way.  Do  not  put  fat  into  the  pan,  as 
is  so  frequently  done. 

The  above  directions  apply  as  well  to  the  broiling 
or  panning  of  lamb-  and  mutton-chops,  which  should 
also  be  cut  thick  and  be  well  trimmed.  It  requires 
from  four  to  six  minutes  to  cook  a  chop  one  inch  thick. 
Mutton  is  supposed  to  be  more  easily  digested  than 
beef.  It  takes  three  hours  to  digest  broiled  beef-steak, 
three  hours  and  a  half  for  roast  beef,  and  four  for  that 
which  has  been  fried.  The  conclusion  to  be  draw^n  is 
evident. 

BOILED    MEATS. 

When  boiled  meat  is  desired,  use  water  that  is  boil- 
ing rapidly  to  seal  the  meat,  as  one  of  the  first  results 

7* 


78  HOW   TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

of  putting  meat  into  water  that  does  not  boil  is  that 
some  of  the  valuable  ingredients  of  the  meat  pass  into 
the  water.  By  having  the  water  boiling  rapidly  this 
is  prevented,  and  by  continuing  the  boiling  for  five 
minutes  the  meat  has  a  protective  covering  formed 
about  it  that  keeps  it  juicy  and  nutritious.  It  should 
then  be  cooked  at  a  considerably  lower  temperature, 
about  160°  F.  It  may  be  a  little  higher,  but  should 
not  be  much  less.  This  method  applies  to  boiling 
poultry  whole,  as  well  as  to  beef,  lamb,  or  mutton. 
When  boiling  beef,  allow  from  twenty  to  forty  min- 
utes to  the  pound,  according  to  the  quality  of  the 
beef.  For  a  boiled  leg  of  lamb  or  mutton  allow 
fifteen  minutes  to  the  pound.  Lamb  is  best  when 
used  within  several  days  after  killing,  as  it  is  in  season 
after  warm  weather  begins,  from  April  to  September, 
when  it  is  difficult  to  keep  it  longer.  Mutton  may 
hang  for  three  or  four  weeks  in  cold  weather,  and  it 
will  be  improved  by  the  hanging. 

MEAT   STEWS. 

A  dainty  and  w^holesome  little  meat  stew  may  be 
made  for  the  nursery  as  follows :  Cut  a  tender  piece 
of  beef,  lamb,  or  mutton  into  small  squares,  rejecting 
all  fat ;  just  cover  it  with  boiling  water  and  allow  it 
to  simmer  until  very  tender,  adding  in  tlie  beginning 
either  a  bit  of  onion,  a  sprig  of  parsley,  a  stalk  of 
celery,  a  few  leaves  of  spinach,  or  a  few  small  pieces 
of  cauliflower,  for  flavoring,  and  add  a  very  few  small 
squares  of  potato  ;  season  with  salt  when  nearly  done. 
If  the  child  for  whom  this  is  prepared  likes  the  vege- 
tables mentioned,  and  is  old  enough,  they  may  simply 


ROAST  BEEF,  SWEETBREADS.  79 

be  cut  into  small  pieces ;  if  not,  they  should  be  pressed, 
when  tender,  through  a  puree  sieve.  Zwieback,  broken 
into  small  pieces  (mere  crumbs),  is  a  very  nice  addition 
to  either  a  stew  of  this  description  or  to  the  broths 
which  frequently  take  the  place  of  meat  for  very 
young  children  just  beginning  upon  a  mixed  diet.  A 
stew  of  this  character,  a  dish  of  spaghetti,  good  bread 
and  butter,  and  some  light  dessert,  like  cup  custard, 
will  make  a  satisfactory  dinner  menu  for  a  four-year- 
old.  The  stew  in  this  menu  supplies  the  salt-giving 
food  required. 

EOAST   BEEF. 

Roast  beef,  when  used  for  children,  should  Le  rare 
and  lean,  with  dish  gravy  from  which  all  fat  has  been 
removed.  If  best  results  are  desired,  when  roasting 
either  beef,  mutton,  or  fowl,  see  that  the  oven  is  very 
hot  to  begin  with  (in  these  days  of  ranges  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  ovens  must  be  used  instead  of  spits), 
cooling  it  slightly  after  the  sealing  ot  the  surface  has 
been  done ;  then  baste  carefully,  or  use  a  double  pan, 
allowing  fifteen  minutes  to  a  pound  for  rare  meats, 
twenty  for  well  done. 

SWEETBREADS. 

Genuine  sweetbreads  are  allowable  in  the  nursery  as 
well  as  in  invalid  dietaries,  as  they  are  readily  digested. 
They  are  not  considered  very  nutritious.  They  must 
be  prepared  in  a  manner  suitable  for  children.  As 
soon  as  they  come  from  the  market  they  should  be 
cleaned  and  parboiled.  To  clean,  cut  off  all  fat, 
bruised  parts,  etc.,  and  wash  quickly  in  cold  water ; 
boil  in  a  granite  saucepan  from  fifteen  to  twenty  min- 


80  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

utes^  using  boiling  salted  water  at  first ;  then  cool  and 
put  away  until  needed.  To  complete  cooking  them 
for  children,  cut  them  into  small  squares  and  stew 
them  carefully  in  a  sauce  prepared  as  follows :  Rub 
a  teaspoonful  of  good  butter  into  a  tablespoonful  of 
flour,  using  one  cup  of  milk  or  cream ;  heat  the  milk 
in  a  double  boiler,  add  the  thickening  (stirring  it  in 
carefully),  the  sweetbreads,  and  a  little  salt.  Stir  con- 
tinuously until  both  sauce  and  sweetbreads  are  cooked, 
which  will  be  in  about  fifteen  minutes, — in  ten  if  made 
in  a  single  saucepan.  The  double  one  is  preferable, 
as  it  prevents  scorching.  Any  sauce  containing  milk 
and  flour  should  be  made  in  a  double  boiler  or  in  a 
small  saucepan  fitted  into  the  top  of  a  teakettle.  Care 
must  be  taken  to  cook  the  sweetbreads  the  required 
time  only,  as  longer  cooking  is  likely  to  harden  them. 
French  peas,  if  tender,  may  be  used  with  these  for 
children  over  four  when  digestion  is  normal.  A  little 
beef  broth,  sweetbreads,  either  prepared  as  above  or 
broiled,  with  peas  or  stewed  celery,  bread  and  butter, 
boiled  rice,  and  a  simple  dessert,  would  be  a  satisfac- 
tory menu  for  the  age  mentioned,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  peas,  perhaps,  it  might  be  given  at 
three  and  a  half,  under  average  conditions. 

EGGS. 

Eggs  are  a  desirable  substitute  for  meat  at  any 
time,  and  as  an  article  of  diet,  when  properly  cooked, 
give  concentrated  nutriment.  They  may  be  prepared 
in  a  variety  of  ways,  with  or  without  the  addition  of 
other  foods,  but  for  nursery  use  the  plain  boiled  egg  is 
most  desii-able.    Care  must  be  taken  to  have  them  per- 


EGGS.  81 

fectly  fresh,  as  it  is  of  great  importance  that  stale  eggs 
should  not  be  used.  A  fresh  egg  will  sink  in  salt  water 
(one  tablespoonful  of  salt  to  ten  of  water)  and  in  pro- 
portion to  its  age  it  approaches  the  surface.  Every 
woman  thinks  she  can  boil  an  egg,  no  matter  how 
unskilled  she  may  be  in  other  branches  of  cooking, 
yet  it  is  perhaps  the  least  understood  of  all  processes 
of  making  foods  digestible  by  proper  treatment.  The 
usual  method  is  to  drop  the  egg  in  boiling  water,  which 
is  allowed  to  continue  boiling  for  two,  three,  or  four 
minutes,  according  to  the  taste  of  the  consumer.  The 
result  is  either  an  almost  raw  egg  or  one  with  a  hard 
white  and  uncooked  yellow,  and,  generally  speaking, 
the  whole  Qgg,  when  cooked  in  this  way,  is  tough  and 
indigestible,  unless  it  is  eaten  almost  raw.  Sufficient 
boiling  water  (about  a  quart)  should  be  set  aside  for  a 
few  moments,  when  it  will  be  of  the  temperature  re- 
quired. It  should  thon  be  poured  over  several  eggs  in 
a  good-sized  saucepan,  which  should  be  covered  and  set 
back  upon  the  range  from  eight  to  twelve  minutes,  ac- 
cording to  whether  they  are  liked  very  soft  or  not. 
These  eggs  are  milky-looking,  soft,  cooked  all  the  way 
through,  and  are  easily  digested.  Dr.  Thompson  gives 
an  excellent  way  for  cooking  eggs,  as  suggested  by 
Henry.*  Immerse  a  teacup  in  boiling  water  until  it 
becomes  thoroughly  heated.  It  is  then  removed  and 
the  egg  is  broken  and  dropped  into  it,  and  the  cup  may 
be  wrapped  in  a  cloth.  Sufficient  heat  is  retained  by  it 
to  cook  the  egg  without  water  and  to  remove  any  raw 
taste. 


*  W.  Gilmau  Thompson,  Practical  Dietetics. 
/ 


82  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

The  white  of  egg,  when  eaten  raw,  diluted  Avith 
water  or  milk,  is  easily  absorbed,  and  is  a  valuable  food 
in  gastric  disorders. 

FISH. 

Fish,  if  fresh  and  of  the  right  kind,  is  an  excellent 
food  for  the  nursery.  It  is  of  great  nutritive  value, 
and  is  less  stimulating  than  meat.  Being  digested 
more  rapidly,  it  is  necessary  to  consider  this  when 
estimating  quantities  for  a  child's  dinner.  A  larger 
portion  should  be  served  than  would  be  given  if  meat 
were  used.  Broths  should  always  be  used  after  four 
years  to  supplement  a  child's  dinner  when  fish  is  given 
instead  of  meat.  Children  who  are  unable  to  take 
much  active  exercise  should  have  fish  and  broths  more 
frequently  than  meat,  as  fish  is  especially  indicated  for 
persons  of  sedentary  habits. 

Fish  should  be  scaled  and  cleaned  as  soon  as  they 
come  from  market,  washed  quickly,  and  put  in  a  cool 
place,  not  on  ice,  but  near  it  if  possible.  The  white- 
fleshed  fish  are  the  only  kind  to  be  considered  in  this 
connection,  and  the  flesh  should  be  firm  and  hard.  If 
it  is  flabby  it  is  unfit  for  use  for  child  or  adult.  The 
German  method  of  selling  fish  alive  might  well  be 
introduced  in  this  country. 

For  nursery  use  it  may  be  boiled  creamed,  baked,  or 
broiled,  never  fried.  It  should  be  served  plain  or  with 
a  sauce  made  of  cream  or  milk  as  directed  for  sweet- 
breads. The  well-beaten  yolk  of  an  egg  may  be  added 
to  this  sauce  after  removing  from  the  fire. 

To  cream  fish  it  must  be  flaked,  the  bones  removed 
very  carefully,  and  then  boiled  gently  for  twenty  min- 


OYSTERS,  SQUABS,  CHICKEN^  ETC.  83 

utes^  seasoned  with  salt,  and  added  to  the  cream  sauce 
mentioned. 

For  broiling,  turn  the  flesh  side  to  the  fire  first,  then 
the  skin,  taking  care  not  to  scorch  the  latter,  which  is 
very  quickly  done  if  care  is  not  taken. 


OYSTERS. 

The  soft  part  of  oysters  may  be  freely  used  in  the 
nursery  for  children  over  three  years  of  age.  They 
are  very  nutritious,  and  are  greatly  desired  as  an  ap- 
petizer and  for  variety.  The  soft  part  is  easily  di- 
gested and  may  be  given  raw  to  any  child  who  takes 
meat  and  broths.  The  juice  may  be  given  earlier,  in 
small  quantity,  but  it  is  a  frequent  occurrence  for  a 
child  under  five  to  refuse  to  eat  oysters  offered  in  any 
way.  They  are  a  very  acceptable  addition  to  an  ordi- 
nary milk  soup  when  chopped  fine,  after  the  hard  part 
has  been  removed.  Care  must  be  exercised  as  to 
season ;  they  are  frequently  placed  upon  the  market 
before  they  are  in  good  condition,  and  just  as  fre- 
quently they  are  kept  for  sale  longer  than  is  desirable. 
The  season  is  supposed  to  be  from  September  to  April, 
but  it  is  safer  for  children  to  consider  it  from  October 
to  March,  unless  cold  weather  has  come  early  or  con- 
tinues exceptionally  late.  Oysters  should  always  be 
kept  in  the  shell,  in  a  cool  place,  until  they  are  to  be 
used. 

SQUABS,  CHICKEN,  ETC. 

Squabs,  partridge,  pheasant,  chicken,  and  turkey 
may  be  used  alternately  with  beef  and  mutton  for  din- 


84  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

ner  menus,  after  three.  Squabs  and  chickens  should 
be  stewed  or  broiled,  and  the  most  tender  parts  selected 
for  young  children ;  the  white  meat  of  roast  chicken 
or  turkey  may  be  given  if  minced  fine.  Partridge 
and  pheasant  should  be  broiled  and  the  breast  used  in 
the  same  waj?. 


CHAPTER    VL 

Inorganic  Salts  in  Food. 

VEGETABLES.       FRUIT. 

Common  salt  (chloride  of  sodium)  is  one  of  the 
most  important  ingredients  of  food,  and  its  entire  ab- 
sence would  be  speedily  fatal.  It  is  the  only  condi- 
ment needed  by  children,  and  they  will  occasionally 
like  a  little  in  the  water  which  they  drink,  as  it 
seems  to'  stimulate  a  delicate  appetite.  Experimental 
results  have  shown  its  necessity  in  the  process  of  nu- 
trition. It  certainly  makes  digestion  easier  by  ren- 
dering foods  savory,  and  consequently  causing  diges- 
tive juices  to  flow  freely.  It  is  in  all  foods,  but  said 
not  to  be  in  sufficient  quantity,  therefore  it  must  be 
added,  especially  to  foods  containing  potash,  as  pota- 
toes, for  instance.  The  reverse  is  also  true,  as  in  a 
salt  meat  diet  scurvy  develops  unless  potash  is  supplied 
in  the  form  of  potatoes,  etc.,  but,  as  salt  meat  has  no 
place  in  nursery  diet,  this  is  simply  of  interest  in  a 
general  way.  A  young  child  who  eats  potatoes  freely 
will  frequently  be  found  to  crave  large  quantities  of 
salt,  and  will  often  eat  it  surreptitiously,  possibly  much 
to  the  astonishment  of  its  guardians.  This  points 
directly  to  reform  in  the  child's  dietary.  The  desire 
will  disappear  if  the  use  of  potatoes  is  reasonably  lim- 
ited. Potatoes  should  never  predominate  in  nursery 
menus ;  rice,  macaroni,  etc.,  should  be  used  for  variety. 

8  85 


SQ  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

Cow's  milk  contains  more  potash  than  mother's  milk, 
which  explains  why  food  specialists  advise  the  use  of 
salt  with  cow's  milk.  The  relations  of  the  different 
inorganic  salts  to  one  another  in  the  nourishment  of 
the  child  are  of  great  importance,  and  it  is  a  well- 
known  rule  in  dietetics  to  supply  them  with  great  care. 
A  farmer's  wife  follows  this  principle  when  she  gives 
young  chickens  the  mineral  salts  they  need  in  the  form 
of  oyster-  and  egg-shells  or  lime,  but  she  may  not  no- 
tice that  her  child,  from  the  lack  of  these  same  salts 
in  its  diet,  is  developing  rickets, — a  disease  which  Eus- 
tace Smith  says  is  one  of  the  most  preventable  yet  one 
of  the  most  common.  It  appears  among  rich  and  poor, 
as  a  result  of  a  poorly  balanced  dietary.  Dr.  Uffel- 
mann  says,*  "  Deficiency  of  inorganic  salts  in  the  food 
of  growing  children,  easily  overlooked  by  their  guar- 
dians, is  a  frightful  source  of  nutritive  disorder.  De- 
ficiency of  lime  especially  tends  to  result  in  rickets.'^ 
Eustace  Smith  says,  "  Rickets  does  not  produce  mal- 
nutrition, but  malnutrition  produces  rickets."  As  these 
remarks  indicate,  besides  forming  tissue,  these  salts 
are  especially  important  in  forming  other  teeth  and 
bone,  and  an  immense  amount  of  the  latter  is  formed 
during  childhood.  We  are  told  that  it  is  not  until  the 
end  of  the  twelfth  year  that  the  cartilage  entering  into 
the  formation  of  bone  has  become  converted  into  true 
bone  tissue,  which  fact  will  show  to  mothers  the  pre- 
eminent  importance  of  supplying  foods  containing  the 
required  salts  not  only  during  the  nursery  period,  but 
also  during  the  following  time,  commonly  called  the 

*  Pomestic  Hygiene  of  the  Child. 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  87 

school  period.  Not  only  at  this  time,  but  even  before 
the  birth  of  a  child  his  inheritance  may  be  strength- 
ened by  a  suitable  dietary  for  the  expectant  mother, 
which  should  contain  a  full  supply  of  phosphates  and 
the  necessary  constituents  for  a  well-balanced  dietary, 
as  indicated  elsewhere.  Nature  does  not  err.  Instinct 
teaches  animals  to  seek  for  salt  when  needed,  and  the 
apparently  natural  craving  shown  sometimes  by  an 
adult  or  child  for  fruit  and  vegetables  indicates  the 
eifort  nature  is  making  to  assist  in  regaining  a  normal 
condition.  A  child's  diet  cannot  be  too  closely  watched 
in  this  respect,  as  the  serious  results  which  always  fol- 
low neglect  of  such  precaution — e.g.,  the  development 
of  rickets,  scurvy,  eczema,  in  short,  indigestion  in  its 
various  forms  and  degrees,  aggravated  by  inlieritance 
of  maladies  largely  induced  by  the  same  reprehensible 
course  having  been  followed  during  the  life  of  the 
parent — must  show  to  mothers  that  the  need  is  imper- 
ative for  close  study  of  domestic  science  as  applied  to 
this  and  other  questions  of  similar  import.  Good 
habits  of  eating  are  easily  established  in  the  nursery 
by  the  use  of  tact  and  care,  or  by  firmness,  if  necessary, 
but  with  a  right  beginning  this  is  rarely  necessary. 

The  practical  application  of  the  use  of  foods  con- 
taining salts  is,  as  nature  indicates,  to  give  to  a  child 
for  the  first  year,  unless  advised  to  the  contrary  by  a 
reputable  physician,  milk  properly  m  dified,  and  milk 
only,  which  contains  all  the  salts  and  other  ingredients 
necessary  for  normal  growth.  As  stated  elsewhere, 
this  is  a  law  in  France,  made  to  prevent  infant  mor- 
tality. Then  add  cereals  very  gradually,  and  well- 
made  bread,  not  supplying  farinaceous  foods  to  excess, 


88  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

which  is  of  too  frequent  occurrence,  and  one  of  the 
first  stumbling-blocks  when  changing  from  milk  to  a 
mixed  diet.  Milk  should  still  be  the  chief  article  of 
food  until  eggs,  broths,  meats,  macaroni,  vegetables, 
and  fruits,  following  in  their  order,  have  taken  the 
places  indicated  elsewhere  in  nursery  dietaries.  When 
changing  from  a  milk  diet  containing  salts  to  a  mixed 
diet  which  should  contain  them,  owing  to  lack  of  knowl- 
edge, or  perhaps  of  thought,  the  foods  containing  them 
(vegetables,  fruits,  etc.)  are  frequently  omitted  alto- 
gether, with  the  results  enumerated  above  as  a  natural 
sequence  (scurvy,  etc.).  It  must  never  be  forgotten  by 
mothers  that  salts  are  invaluable  as  adjuncts  to  a  con- 
centrated diet,  such  as  meat,  eggs,  etc.,  producing,  in 
addition  to  their  other  functions,  the  necessary  waste 
required  for  regular  intestinal  action.  Their  use  in 
the  order  allowed  in  the  nursery  is  fully  indicated 
elsewhere,  and  practically  illustrated  in  the  selection 
of  menus.  Many  mothers  Avill  say,  ^'But  I  don't 
need  any  dietetic  rules  for  my  baby  of  eighteen  months 
or  two  years.  He  eats  everything  and  is  quite  well." 
L.  Emmett  Holt,  M.D.,  says  he  has  had  quite  a  large 
experience  with  those  children  who  ''  ate  everything" 
and  seemed  to  relish  it,  and  has  followed  a  number 
of  them  to  their  graves  as  the  ultimate  result  of  such 
unreasonable  and  inconsiderate  practice. 

THE   USE   OF   VEGETABLES   i:sr   THE   Is^URSERY. 

Spinach. — Spinach,  which  is  a  wholesome  vegetable 
when  properly  cooked,  acts  as  a  useful  aperient,  and 
is  frequently  prescribed  for  habitual  constipation.  It 
should  be  w^ell  cleaned,  cooked  in  an  abundance  of 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  89 

salted  boiling  water,  and  for  young  children  pressed 
through  a  puree  sieve.  It  may  be  served  with  or 
without  a  little  cream.  When  prepared  in  this  man- 
ner it  will  produce  no  irritation,  and  is  a  vegetable 
that  may  be  used  frequently  in  nursery  menus,  in 
broths,  or  alone.  It  may  be  used  for  children  two  and 
a  half  years  old. 

Onions. — The  onion  is  valuable  in  several  w^ays. 
It  adds  flavor  to  foods,  and  is  slightly  laxative.  The 
French  consider  a  pur§e  of  onions  a  great  restorative 
in  debility  of  digestion.  Either  the  Spanish  or  Ber- 
muda onion  is  preferable  for  the  niu-sery.  It  should 
be  boiled  tender  in  stock  or  water  and  served  with 
cream  sauce,  or  baked,  wrapped  in  a  buttered  paper, 
in  a  moderately  heated  oven.  When  made  into  a 
puree  it  is  a  satisfactory  addition  to  a  dinner  con- 
sisting partly  of  starchy  foods,  like  rice  or  potatoes, 
supplying  the  fat  necessary  for  these  vegetables  in  the 
butter  added  to  the  milk  or  cream  in  the  sauce  to  be 
used  with  the  puree.  As  onions  belong  to  the  variety 
of  vegetables  that  contain  little  starch  or  sugar,  a 
sweet  dessert,  like  wine  jelly,  should  be  used  with  any 
menu  calling  for  this  vegetable.  They  may  be  used 
with  care  for  children  over  three,  watching  for  indi- 
vidual idiosyncrasies. 

Celery. — Celery  is  both  wholesome  and  digestible 
if  in  good  condition.  It  may  be  eaten  uncooked  by 
children  over  six  in  very  small  quantities,  as  a  single 
tender  slip  at  dinner,  and  this  well  scraped,  unless  from 
the  heart  of  the  stalk.  The  outer  stalks  should  all  be 
scraped,  to  free  them  fj'om  the  indigestible  covering  of 
cellulose,  or  woody  portion,  which  is  harmful  for  even 

8* 


90  sow   TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

an  adult.  For  general  use  in  the  nursery  it  should  be 
stewed.  Care  should  be  taken  to  use  the  water  also  in 
which  the  celery  has  been  boiled.  This  may  be  done 
by  giving  it  as  a  broth^  or  by  using  it  in  making  the 
sauce  to  serve  with  the  celery. 

Stewed  Celery. — Cut  off  the  tops  of  a  bunch  of 
celery,  putting  aside  some  of  the  tender  and  perfectly 
fresh  portions  for  use  for  the  general  household.  Cut 
the  stalks  into  small  pieces,  first  scraping  them  well. 
Boil  quite  tender  in  salted  boiling  water,  just  enough 
to  cover  the  celery.  It  will  take  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty-five  minutes  over  a  quick  fire.  Serve  plain,  or 
with  the  usual  cream  sauce,  made,  however,  from  half 
celery  water  and  half  milk  instead  of  all  milk.  Ex- 
perience will  show  that  the  tops  usually  require  a 
longer  time  to  cook  than  the  stalks.  For  nursery  diet 
the  tender  portions  also  should  be  used.  The  addition 
of  a  white  stock  would  make  a  pleasant  change,  espe- 
cially if  made  of  chicken,  veal  stock  being  not  quite 
so  desirable  for  the  nursery.  Allowable  at  two  and  a 
half  years  of  age. 

Cauliflower. — This  vegetable  is  both  delicate  and 
digestible,  and  a  tablespoonful  may  be  eaten  for  dinner 
by  a  child  over  three  years  of  age.  It  should  be  taken 
plain  or  with  cream  sauce,  not  with  melted  butter, 
which  is  never  to  be  allowed  on  the  nursery  table.  It 
is  very  nice  when  cut  in  pieces  and  stewed  tender  in  beef 
stock  or  in  chicken  broth.  Its  preparatory  cleansing 
must  be  very  carefully  done,  a  preliminary  soaking, 
head  down,  being  the  first  step. 

Carrots. — If  very  young  and  tender  they  may  be 
used  very  carefully  for  a  child  over  five.     Boil  them 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  91 

soft  enough  to  press  through  a  piir^e  sieve,  and  serve 
a  small  quantity  in  broth  or  seasoned  with  hot  cream 
and  salt.  They  may  also  be  tried,  but  cautiously, 
when  cut  in  very  small  squares,  served  plain  or  not, 
as  preferred. 

Peas  and  Beans. — Dried  peas  may  be  used  for 
children  three  to  four  years  old  if  first  soaked  for 
twenty-four  hours,  cooked  very  soft,  and  pressed 
through  a  puree  sieve.  Fresh  peas,  if  picked  the 
day  they  are  to  be  used,  may  be  added  to  the  dietary 
of  a  child  of  two  and  one-half  years,  but  they  should 
be  very  young  and  tender.  They  must  be  boiled 
rapidly  from  ten  to  twenty  minutes  in  boiling  salted 
water — -just  enough  to  keep  them  from  burning — in  a 
closed  granite  saucepan,  remembering  that  for  all  vege- 
table cooking,  in  fact  for  all  cooking  in  the  nursery, 
porcelain  or  granite  utensils  should  be  used  inva- 
riably. 

Very  young  beans,  or  a  puree  of  dried  beans,  may 
be  tried  cautiously  for  children  over  three.  For  best 
results  both  peas  and  beans,  when  fresh,  should  be 
cooked  as  soon  as  possible  after  picking.  The  use  of 
these  vegetables  must  be  watched  closely  for  indica- 
tions pointing  to  assimilation  or  non-assimilation.  It 
must  not  be  overlooked  that  they  supply  a  moderate 
amount  of  proteids,  hence  less  meat  should  be  used 
with  a  menu  containing  either  peas  or  beans,  A 
practical  method  for  trying  a  new  vegetable  is  to  re- 
serve its  use  for  a  time  when  the  child  is  in  perfect 
condition,  digesting  its  food  easily,  and  when  the  menu 
contains  nothing  but  food  that  has  been  tried  and  found 
to  agree.     The  chances  are  then  that  if  any  trouble 


92  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

arises  it  may  be  traced  to  the  exact  cause.  Caution 
should  always  be  the  watchword  in  the  nursery. 

Asparag-us. — Asparagus  possesses  diuretic  proper- 
ties, and  is  a  vegetable  strongly  recommended  for  nur- 
sery use,  especially  when  in  season.  For  children,  only 
the  tips  should  be  used,  boiling  them  tender  in  boiling 
salted  w^ater,  and  serving  either  plain  or  with  cream 
sauce.  They  may  be  used  for  children  tw^o  and  a  half 
years  old. 

Tomatoes. — Tomatoes  are  not  to  be  eaten  when 
milk  is  in  the  dietary.  If  given  at  all,  it  should  be 
after  a  child  has  reached  five  years.  They  should  be 
cooked  slowly  for  several  hours  in  a  porcelain  or  agate 
vessel,  strained,  and  thickened  w^ith  a  little  barley, 
wheat,  or  rice  flour,  or  a  few  grated  bread  crumbs 
or  grated  crackers.  Season  when  preparing  with 
sugar,  salt,  and  a  teaspoonful  of  onion  juice.  Raw 
tomatoes  must  be  used  very  cautiously,  and  not  until 
a  child  is  five  years  old.  The  seeds  and  skin  should 
be  discarded  and  the  tomato  should  be  fresh-picked 
and  just  ripe.  An  under-  or  over- ripe  tomato  is  dan- 
gerous food.  Tomato  jelly  may  be  tried  for  chil- 
dren over  three  if  made  from  strained  cooked  toma- 
toes and  gelatin,  the  latter  to  be  used  in  the  usual 
way. 

Beets. — Beet  root  is  a  valuable  vegetable,  an  appe- 
tizer, and  belongs  to  the  class  containing  sugar.  This 
knowledge  is  of  importance  in  selecting  menus  that 
should  contain  the  proportionate  amount  of  the  neces- 
sary constituents.  It  is  not  indigestible  unless  tough 
and  stringy.  Very  young  beets  may  be  cooked  tender 
in  boiling  salted  water  in  less  than  an  hour.     Care 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  93 

must  be  taken  to  wash  the  root  without  bruising  it, 
and  to  cut  off  the  top  at  least  an  inch  from  the  beet,  as 
this  will  prevent  the  loss  of  the  juice  that  is  clesiraljle. 
Serve  plain,  cut  in  dainty  squares  or  slices.  They  may 
be  added  to  the  diet  of  a  child  five  years  old,  with 
caution  and  moderation. 

Apple  Sauce. — This  really  comes  under  fruits,  but 
it  may  be  given  at  dinner  in  place  of  a  vegetable  at 
those  seasons  of  the  year  when  young  fresh  vegetables 
are  difficult  to  find.  It  should  be  prepared  very  care- 
fully. As  quickly  as  the  apples  are  pared  and  cored 
they  should  be  dropped  into  cold  water  to  prevent  dis- 
coloration. When  ready  for  cooking,  put  them  into  a 
double  boiler  of  agate  or  porcelain,  an  earthen  jar  set 
in  a  pot  of  water,  or  in  a  nursery  cooker,  and  steam 
until  tender,  adding  no  water  to  the  apples.  When 
done,  beat  up  with  a  silver  fork  or  spoon,  and  add  a 
little  sugar  and  a  little  lemon  juice  if  liked.  Cinna- 
mon, delicately  sifted  over  the  surface,  is  a  pleasant 
addition.  If  preferred,  the  sauce  may  be  made,  if 
done  carefully,  in  an  agate  saucepan,  using  just  enough 
water  to  reach  the  top  pieces  of  apple  (do  not  cover 
them).  If  pressed  through  a  puree  sieve  it  should  be 
of  agate,  as  one  of  tin  destroys  the  delicate  flavor  of 
the  apple.  This  sauce  may  be  given  to  a  child  eigh- 
teen months  old. 

Brussels  Sprouts. — Brussels  sprouts,  when  very 
tender  and  perfectly  fresh,  may  be  carefully  used  after 
a  child  is  six  years  old.  They  must  be  boiled  ten- 
der in  salted  water,  and  served  plain  or  with  cream 
sauce. 

Corn. — Corn  for  the  nursery  should  always  be  used 


94  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

as  a  pur^e,  or  boiled  on  the  cob  in  boiling  salted  water 
for  ten  minutes^  the  tender  part  to  be  pressed  ont  with 
the  back  of  a  knife  after  scoring.  This  may  be  given 
to  a  child  of  three,  as,  being  freed  from  its  indigestible 
covering,  it  will  not  irritate.  As  the  child  grows  older, 
the  corn  may  be  grated  and  served  in  the  form  of  a 
corn  pudding  or  omelet. 

There  is  probably  no  other  rule  so  important  for 
infant  diet  as  that  which  regulates  the  amount  of  starch 
to  be  given  to  a  child.  Of  the  starchy  foods  allowed 
in  the  nursery  for  dinner,  rice,  potatoes,  and  macaroni 
are  the  most  important.  They  are  palatable  foods  and 
are  easily  digested  if  properly  prepared  and  adminis- 
tered at  the  right  age. 

Rice. — Rice  is  not  suitable  in  itself  as  a  sole  food. 
It  is  lacking  in  fat  and  salts,  and  is  poor  in  nitrogenous 
substances,  but  the  starch  which  it  contains  (its  chief 
constituent)  is  easily  digested,  and  it  is,  therefore,  a 
very  valuable  food  when  mixed  in  proper  proportions 
with  articles  of  food  that  are  rich  in  fat  and  albumi- 
noids. It  should  not  be  given  freely  to  a  child  until 
after  t^^o  and  one-half  years,  using  it  in  broths  from 
eighteen  months  to  this  age.  A  very  satisfactory  way 
to  prepare  rice  for  children  is  to  wash  it  well,  soak  it 
overnight  in  cold  Avater,  and  boil  rapidly  in  an  abun- 
dance of  boiling  salted  water  for  twenty  minutes.  The 
grains  will  swell,  and  they  are  easy  to  digest.  If  the 
preliminary  soaking  is  overlooked,  wash  the  grains 
well  and  drop  them  gradually  into  the  boiling  water, 
care  being  taken  to  keep  the  boiling  continuous  while 
this  is  done,  and  boil  rapidly  for  thirty  minutes,  stir- 
ring once  or  twice  with  a  fork  to  keep  the  grains  from 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  95 

sticking  to  the  bottom.  When  done,  whichever  method 
is  followed,  pour  the  rice  into  an  agate  sieve,  let  a 
quantity  of  hot  water  run  through  until  it  runs  clear, 
and  then  set  the  sieve  upon  a  plate  in  the  oven  until 
the  rice  is  perfectly  dry.  This  is  a  very  good  way  to 
prepare  it  for  breakfast  for  occasional  use  in  place  of 
oatmeal  for  the  summer  months,  serving  it  with  cream 
and  a  little  sugar  or  salt  as  seems  most  advisable. 
Steaming  is  the  method  usually  advocated  for  cooking 
rice.  Inasmuch  as  the  starch  in  rice  is  very  easily 
digested,  long  cooking  is  not  so  necessary  as  when 
cooking  oatmeal,  etc. ;  and  as  in  selecting  a  child^s  menu 
we  do  not  depend  upon  the  small  amount  of  proteids 
found  in  rice  (which  are  said  to  dissolve  in  boiling), 
the  above  method,  judging  by  results,  seems  to  be 
practically  preferable,  although  steaming  may  be  con- 
sidered so  theoretically. 

Potatoes. — The  potato  is  a  salt-giving  starch  vege- 
table, to  be  eaten  with  lean  meats  or  other  nitrogenous 
foods.  It  is  three-quarters  water,  and  prevents  con- 
centration in  food.  The  remaining  quarter  is  nearly 
all  starch.  Care  should  be  exercised  in  the  selection 
of  potatoes,  those  that  are  yellowish  white  being  pre- 
ferred. The  fact  that  it  takes  three  and  a  half  hours 
to  digest  boiled  potatoes,  and  two  hours  for  those  that 
are  properly  baked,  will  indicate  at  once  which  method 
is  preferable  for  the  nursery.  The  desired  temperature 
for  cooking  starchy  foods  can  be  reached  in  the  oven 
with  care,  and  a  potato  of  medium  size  should  be  baked 
in  from  thirty  to  forty-five  minutes.  When  done  in  this 
way,  they  may  be  given  occasionally  wdth  dish  gravy 
from  roast  beef,  roast  mutton,  or  broiled  beefsteak,  or 


96  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

with  salt  and  cream,  to  a  child  of  eighteen  months  ;  but 
it  may  be  safer  to  wait  a  little  while  longer,  according 
to  the  condition  of  the  child.  The  potash  in  potato, 
which  is  an  important  salt  and  soluble  in  water,  is  not 
lest  when  potatoes  are  baked.  For  this  reason,  when 
mashed  potatoes  are  desired  for  children,  they  should 
either  be  steamed  in  a  steamer  or  a  closed  colander 
placed  over  boiling  w^ater,  or  be  boiled  in  the  skin. 
When  done,  they  should  be  lightly  beaten  with  a  fork, 
and  a  little  cream  and  salt  added.  If  properly  cooked 
in  this  way  a  potato  will  assume  a  mealy  or  floury  ap- 
pearance, and  boiled  potatoes  should  never  be  used  in 
the  nursery  unless  done  in  this  way. 

Macaroni,  etc. — Macaroni,  spaghetti,  and  vermi- 
celli are  all  preparations  of  flour,  supposed  to  be  made 
from  hard  Italian  wheat,  rich  in  gluten.  Sir  Henry 
Thompson  observes  of  macaroni,  ^^  It  is  certainly  to 
be  lamented  that  so  little  use  is  made  in  our  country 
of  Italian  pastes.  Macaroni  in  all  its  forms  is,  in 
fact,  an  aliment  of  very  high  nutritious  power,  being 
formed  chiefly  of  gluten,  the  most  valuable  part  of 
the  wheat,  from  which  the  starch  has  been  removed. 
Weight  for  weight  it  may  be  regarded  as  not  less 
valuable  for  flesh-forming  purposes  in  the  animal 
economy  than  beef  or  mutton.  Most  people  can  di- 
gest it  more  easily  and  rapidly  than  meat ;  it  oflers, 
therefore,  an  admirable  substitute  for  meat,  particu- 
larly for  lunch  or  mid-day  meals."  It  must  be  selected 
with  care,  as  there  are  many  imitations  in  market  which 
contain  little  gluten  and  much  starch.  To  prepare  it 
for  the  nursery  add  about  ten  sticks  of  macaroni 
broken  into  small  pieces  to  a  quart  of  boiling  salted 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  97 

water,  dropping  the  pieces"  in  one  by  one,  that  the 
water  may  continne  boiling.  Boil  gently  for  twenty 
minutes,  drain  thoroughly,  and  put  it  back  in  the 
saucepan,  adding  cream  or  a  pint  of  milk  thickened 
with  a  teaspoonful  of  flour  rubbed  smooth  in  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  butter,  and  allow  it  to  simmer  for  another 
twenty  minutes.  Enough  milk  or  cream  should  be 
allowed  to  cover  the  macaroni  well  when  done  with 
the  cream  sauce  which  results  from  careful  simmering. 
Spaghetti  may  be  prepared  in  the  same  way.  Vermi- 
celli is  to  be  used  as  an  addition  to  broths,  but  there 
is  no  reason  why  it  also  should  not  be  prepared  as 
directed  above. 

If  any  of  the  vegetables  mentioned  disagree,  upon 
careful  observ^ation,  with  children  possessing  certain 
inherent  peculiarities,  their  use  should  be  postponed 
until  after  the  second  teeth  have  appeared.  It  is 
always  advisable  to  watch  for  indications  of  habitual 
non-assimilation  of  certain  foods,  and,  if  necessary, 
not  to  use  them  until  later  years,  when  a  more  liberal 
dietary  in  many  respects  may  be  allowed. 

Salads  dressed  with  olive  oil  may  be  given  after 
second  dentition;  the  oil  is  a  valuable  nutrient,  and 
the  fresh  green  supplies  an  important  part  of  a  grow- 
ing girl's  or  boy's  requirements. 

THE   PLACE   OF   FBUIT   IN   THE   NURSERY   DIET 

The  use  of  fruits  in  nursery  dietetics  is  of  the 
greatest  importance.  They  contain  a  very  large  pro- 
portion of  water,  but  their  chief  food  value  lies  in 
the  sugar,  acids,  and  salts  which  they  contain,  which 
cool  the  blood,  aid  the  digestion,  tend  to  promote  in- 
E       v  9 


98  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

testinal  action,  and  correct  tendencies  to  constipation. 
They  are  especially  adapted  to  the  nourishment  of  the 
brain  and  nervous  system. 

The  selection  and  use  of  fruit  demand  careful  con- 
sideratioUj  and  it  must  be  used  moderately  at  all  times, 
as  any  excess  tends  to  intestinal  irritation.  The  seeds, 
pulp,  and  cellular  parts  are  usually  the  disturbing  ele- 
ments. The  juices  are,  as  a  rule,  perfectly  wholesome, 
and  may  be  used  some  time  before  solid  fruits  may  be 
given.  The  Lancet  says,  "JN^othing  is  more  essential 
to  learning  than  frequent  reiteration.  ...  It  might 
be  supposed  that  by  this  time  every  one  understood 
the  importance  of  observing  particular  care  in  the  se- 
lection of  a  summer  dietary,  especially  as  regards  fruit. 
Hardly  any  question  of  domestic  management  is  either 
more  vital  or  more  elementary,  yet  error  continually 
arises  in  this  connection  in  the  simplest  way.  A  few 
days  ago  a  child  died  soon  after  eating  strawberries. 
Why  ?  Because  the  fruit  had  been  purchased  two  days 
previously,  and,  as  was  only  to  be  expected,  when  eaten, 
was  in  a  state  of  decay.  It  is  impossible  to  resist  the 
impression  that  neglect  had  something  to  do  with  the 
sad  result  in  this  instance.  Luscious  fruits  are  partic- 
ularly liable  to  putrefactive  change,  and  such  thrifty 
processes  as  exposure  to  a  cold  and  dry  air,  spreading 
out,  and  the  like,  suffice  only  to  postpone  decay  for  a 
brief  period.  We  cannot  do  better  than  point  to  the 
incident  above  mentioned  in  order  to  remind  the 
vender  and  purchaser  alike  that  freshness  is  the  only 
certain  guarantee  of  safety  when  any  succulent  fruit 
forms  an  article  of  diet.  We  have  not  forgotten  that 
another  hardly  less  serious  danger  of  the  season  awaits 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  99 

those  who  indulge  in  fruit  which  is  under-ripe.  In 
this  case  taste  as  well  as  judgment  commonly  inter- 
poses a  caution  the  importance  of  Avhich  can  hardly 
be  exaggerated.  Yet  here,  also,  the  con.sequences  of 
neglect  have  too  often  been  sadly  apparent.'^ 

As  may  be  inferred  from  the  above  remarks,  it  is  of 
the  first  importance  that  fruits  be  fresh,  ripe,  and  in 
good  condition.  They  must  also  be  delicately  handled, 
as  their  greatest  value  lies  in  the  juice  they  contain, 
which  may  readily  be  lost  in  whole  or  in  part  by  care- 
less handling.  A  child  two  and  a  half  years  old  may 
usually  be  allowed  the  juice  and  pulp  of  a  sweet  ripe 
orange ;  no  amoimt  of  sugar  will  correct  the  acidity 
of  a  sour  orange,  in  a  wholesome  way,  for  nursery 
use.  The  juice  of  a  sweet  orange  is  indicated  in 
feverish  conditions,  and  it  may  be  freely  used  under 
almost  all  circumstances  after  a  mixed  dietary  has 
begun.  It  is  well  to  remember  in  giving  all  fresh 
fruits  that  the  best  time  is  to  give  them  for  break- 
fast or  for  early  dinner,  as  all  fruit  allowable  for 
supper  should  be  cooked.  It  should  also  be  remem- 
bered that  when  fat  and  meat  form  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  menu,  fresh  fruit  should  be  carefully 
given ;  therefore,  in  winter  menus,  when  fat  and  meat 
are  necessary  for  dinner,  it  is  advisable  to  use  fresh 
fruit  for  breakfast  and  puddings,  etc.,  for  dinner  des- 
serts. In  summer,  when  meat  and  fat  should  be 
sparingly  used,  fresh  fruit  may  be  given  for  both 
breakfast  and  dinner ;  never  for  supper  at  any  season 
of  the  year.  Baked  apples  may  be  used  frequently 
after  a  child  is  two  years  old.  Dr.  Rotch  says  a 
baked  apple  may  be  given  at  the  evening  meal  when  a 


100  IJOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

child  is  fourteen  to  fifteen  months  old,  or  for  variety 
the  apple  can  be  made  into  a  simple  sauce,  never,  how- 
ever, having  the  sauce  made  with  much  sugar.  The 
pulp  of  a  raw  apple,  scraped  with  a  silver  spoon  or 
knife,  may  sometimes  be  given  for  breakfast.  Apples, 
cooked  or  raw,  are  particularly  useful  with  a  concen- 
trated diet  (beef  broth,  eggs,  etc.),  and  if  properly 
selected  they  are  easily  digested.  As  a  rule,  a  child 
who  is  delicate  and  has  little  appetite  for  breakfast 
will  rarely  turn  away  from  a  juicy  baked  apple  daintily 
served.  For  eating  raw,  a  highly  colored  apple,  with 
rosy,  sugary  flesh,  is  most  digestible,  if  care  is  taken 
to  see  that  it  is  properly  masticated.  Any  really  ripe 
apple  may  be  used  with  safety  if  peeled  and  scraped. 
The  juices  of  almost  any  fruit  may  be  used  at  two  and 
a  half  years,  either  as  a  drink  or  with  the  varieties 
of  desserts  or  farinaceous  foods  allowed.  Cherries, 
grapes,  raspberries,  strawberries,  blackberries,  pine- 
apples, and  similar  juicy  fruits  are  suitable  for  this 
purpose.  These  juices  may  be  prepared  in  the  follow- 
ing manner,  and  possess  the  advantage  of  being  ready 
for  use  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Express  the  clear 
juice  of  the  fruit  in  the  usual  way,  and  boil  it  with  a 
small  quantity  of  sugar,  about  a  quarter  of  a  pound 
to  a  pint  of  juice.  Boil  fifteen  minutes,  stirring  con- 
stantly, and  skim  as  long  as  any  scum  arises.  Then 
strain,  put  in  bottles  or  jars,  and  seal. 

After  a  child  is  two  and  a  half  years  old,  stewed 
fruits  should  be  freely  used,  especially  apples,  prunes, 
figs,  and  peaches.  For  many  children  all  ripe  fruits 
are  laxative,  and  for  this  reason  alone,  if  for  no  other, 
they  are  valuable  aids  in  regulating  a  diet  that  is  fre- 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  101 

quently  much  too  concentrated  or  too  starchy,  keeping 
a  child  dull,  sluggish,  and  unhappy. 

The  following  fruits  may  be  used  after  three  years 
and  a  half,  according  to  the  child's  power  of  digestion. 
Cranberries,  which  rank  as  an  antiscorbutic  and  an 
astringent,  may  be  given  in  the  form  of  a  sauce  or  a 
drink.  They  should  be  strained  when  used  in  the 
nursery.  To  make  a  cooling,  refreshing  drink,  boil 
the  berries  in  water  double  the  measure  of  the  berries. 
Boil  until  the  juice  has  been  thoroughly  extracted, 
sweeten  with  one-half  pound  of  sugar  to  a  quart  of 
juice,  boil  ten  minutes,  bottle,  and  seal  while  hot. 
This  must  be  largely  diluted. 

Strawberries  are  wholesome  for  nearly  every  one 
when  fresh  and  ripe,  if  taken  in  moderation,  but  results 
must  be  carefully  watched  for  individual  idiosyncrasies. 
Some  physicians  recommend  their  use  as  early  as  two 
years  and  a  half,  but  it  is  better  to  err  on  the  safe  side 
and  '^make  haste  slowly.'' 

Dates  and  figs  are  highly  nutritious,  much  more  so 
than  many  other  fruits,  and  in  large  quantities  they  are 
usually  aperient.  Children  generally  like  dates  when 
seeded,  pressed  flat,  and  served  with  a  slice  of  buttered 
brown  bread  or  saltine  crackers. 

Bananas  are  nutritious,  but  indigestible  unless  very 
ripe,  when  they  are  nearly  all  sugar,  and  it  may  be  as 
well  to  postpone  their  use  until  children  reach  six  years 
of  age.     They  should  be  well  chewed. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  w^ell  to  mention  some 
uses  to  which  bananas  are  put.  While  awaiting  my 
turn  in  the  office  of  a  prominent  New  York  physician 
for  children  one  day,  I  saw  a  mother,  with  a  child  ap- 

9* 


102  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

parently  two  and  a  half  years  old,  leave  the  house  for 
a  few  moments,  to  get  something,  as  she  said,  to  quiet 
the  child,  who  was  crying.  As  she  went  out  she  re- 
marked to  the  servant  at  the  door  that  she  had  brought 
the  child  to  the  physician  because  he  wasn't  well, — 
wouldn't  eat.  She  returned  in  a  few  moments,  and 
the  child  was  eating  a  so-called  "ripe''  banana.  The 
skin  was  green.  I  felt  impelled  to  send  word  to  the 
physician  to  this  effect,  as  lier  turn  preceded  mine,  but 
I  did  not  do  it,  nor  can  I  tell  why.  I  think  the  hope- 
lessness of  convincing  such  a  mother  prevented  me, 
and  both  the  child  and  the  physician  had  my  sym- 
pathy, for  obvious  reasons. 

I  have  seen  children  only  two  years  old  munching 
away  contentedly  at  dead-ripe  bananas.  One  was  the 
child  of  an  Italian  fruit  vender,  and  she  was  the  pic- 
ture of  health  and  content.  Her  mother  assured  me 
that  the  child  ate  them  daily,  and  had  never  been  ill. 
I  questioned  her  closely,  but  could  find  no  evidence  of 
bad  effects.  The  child  was  a  sturdy  little  thing,  and 
looked  perfectly  well.  Reflection  led  me  to  believe 
that  the  secret  of  it  all  was  that  thrift  would  prevent 
her  parents  from  giving  her  the  sound  bananas  of 
market  value,  and  the  child  was  allowed  to  eat  those 
only  that  were  really  ripe,  and  consequently  she  did 
not  suffer  as  she  would  have  done  had  they  been  other- 
wise. Really  ripe  bananas,  being  chiefly  sugar,  are 
easily  digested,  and  under  certain  conditions  are  an 
excellent  food.  When  not  really  ripe,  they  are  ex- 
tremely indigestible.  A  ripe  banana  in  the  tropics  is 
an  entirely  different  fruit  from  the  banana  sold  else- 
where as  being  ripe.    To  those  mothers  who  insist  upon 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  103 

feeding  their  children  uj^on  green  bananas,  the  above 
remarks  may  be  of  interest. 

Pears,  when  ripe,  may  be  used  carefully,  bat  they  are 
not  to  be  preferred  to  other  fruit  for  the  first  five  years, 
as,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  they  require  a  long  time 
for  digestion,  and  being  decidedly  laxative,  if  not 
properly  digested,  they  are  likely  to  give  trouble. 
Peaches  may  be  used  from  eighteen  months  up,  when 
fresh  and  ripe  and  prepared  carefully, — that  is,  pared 
immediately  before  eating.  Dr.  Rotch  says  a  ripe 
peach,  w^hen  in  season,  may  often  be  given  w^th  benefit 
during  the  second  year,  especially  if  the  infant  is  in- 
clined to  be  constipated.  They  should  always  be  pared 
for  nursery  use,  as  should  every  skin  fruit,  like  the 
pear,  apple,  plum,  etc.  They  must  also  be  thoroughly 
washed  before  using.  Diphtheria  has  been  known  to 
be  carried  by  unwashed  apples,  and  even  if  no  con- 
tagion exists  there  is  something  decidedly  unpleasant 
in  the  thought  of  eating  fruit  that  has  been  handled 
constantly  by  unwashed  hands  from  the  time  of  pick- 
ing, through  transit,  until  it  reaches  the  table.  Even 
dates  and  figs  suffer  no  appreciable  loss  by  being 
quickly  but  carefully  washed  and  dried  over  a  range 
or  in  the  sun,  and  they  are  infinitely  more  appetizing 
when  treated  in  this  way.  Sterilized  or  boiled  water 
should  always  be  used  for  this  purpose. 

Grapes  occupy  an  intermediary  position,  and  may  be 
used  medicinally  in  many  cases,  under  the  guidance, 
however,  of  a  physician.  They  are  very  rich  in  sugar, 
both  in  the  fresh  and  in  the  dried  form  (raisins),  and  are 
easily  digested  when  fully  ripe.  They  are  particularly 
useful  in  convalescence  and  in  an£emic  and  catarrhal 


104  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

conditions.  The  skins  and  seeds  of  all  grapes  must  be 
rejected ;  the  pulp,  also,  of  many  of  them,  chiefly  on 
account  of  the  seeds  they  contain.  The  pulp  of  Tokay, 
Malaga,  and  similar  grapes  may  be  eaten  freely.  Grape 
juice  is  especially  refreshing,  and  is  liked  by  all  chil- 
dren. It  may  be  given  among  the  first  fruit  juices 
allowed.  A  pleasant  way  to  prepare  grape  juice  for 
young  children  is  to  use  a  fruit-press  (a  press  that 
is  used  for  mashing  potatoes  will  answer  very  w^ell), 
putting  pulp,  skin,  and  all  into  it  and  expressing  the 
juice,  which  may  be  given  clear  or  diluted  for  dessert 
or  as  a  cooling^  drink  in  hot  weather  whenever  and  in 
whatever  quantity  desired.  In  this  way  some  of  the 
valuable  ingredients  of  fruit  may  be  added  to  a  child's 
dietary  loug  before  the  use  of  solid  fruit  is  allowed. 
The  use  of  these  fruit  juices  corresponds,  in  the  order 
of  the  menus  indicated,  to  the  use  of  the  vegetable 
waters  spoken  of  when  making  meat  broths,  which  may 
also  be  used  before  even  vegetable  purees  are  allowed. 

Blackberries  are  an  astringent  fruit,  and  they  must 
be  perfectly  ripe  to  be  eaten  in  their  natural  state. 
The  usual  blackberry  in  market  is  unripe,  although 
black,  and  is  unfit  for  food  unless  cooked.  The  berries 
are  not  sweet  when  in  this  condition,  and  if  eaten  they 
will  easily  cause  a  period  of  indigestion.  A  very  good 
jelly  may  be  made  by  using  gelatin  soaked  in  black- 
berry juice  instead  of  cold  water,  in  the  proportion  of 
a  box  of  gelatin  to  a  pint  of  juice,  adding  one  cup  of 
sugar  and  three  cups  of  boiling  water.  Boil,  strain, 
cool,  and  keep  in  covered  jars  or  tumblers.  This 
method,  with  the  variations  called  for  by  the  different 
fruits  in  the  way  of  sugar^  flavoring,  etc.,  ^vill  be  found 


INORGANIC  SALTS  IN  FOOD.  105 

an  excellent  one  for  the  use  of  all  fruits.  Cherries, 
pineapples,  prunes,  oranges,  apples,  grapes,  raspberries, 
currants,  and  rhubarb  are  all  to  be  recommended  in 
this  form.  A  further  variation  may  be  made  at  any 
time  by  adding  the  whites  of  eggs  in  proportion  to  the 
quantity  made  (as,  for  instance,  two  to  four  whites  to 
one  box  of  gelatin),  beating  the  whites  stiff,  and  whip- 
ping them  into  the  fruit  jelly  a  little  at  a  time  before  it  is 
quite  firm.   This  may  be  eaten  plain  or  with  sweet  cream. 

Corn  starch  and  blanc-mange  may  be  varied  by  cook- 
ing them  with  fruit  juices  instead  of  milk,  to  be  served 
with  milk  or  cream. 

The  white  of  egg  beaten  very  stiff  and  slightly 
sweetened,  or  whipped  cream,  either  of  them  to  be 
used  with  the  addition  of  fruit  or  fruit  jelly,  is  a 
dessert  that  is  simple,  easily  made,  and  one  that  not 
only  pleases  the  eye  and  palate,  but  possesses  desirable 
nutriment  as  well. 

Whilst  the  selection  of  a  fruit  or  fruit  dessert  may 
seem  the  least  important  portion  of  the  nursery  menu, 
it  does  not  occupy  this  position,  as,  if  used  at  all,  it 
must  be  considered  in  connection  with  the  idea  carried 
out  in  selecting  the  entire  menu  for  the  meal.  We 
must  always  remember  the  rules  to  be  followed  in 
health  in  regard  to  proportionate  quantities  of  food 
containing  albuminoids,  starches,  fats,  and  sugars, — one 
supplementing  the  other.  Under  other  conditions  than 
those  of  health  an  entirely  different  plan  must  be  fol- 
lowed, as  special  conditions  call  for  specially  directed 
nutrients,  and  at  such  times  fruits  and  vegetables  are 
not  desirable,  unless  recommended  by  some  one  of  un- 
questionable authority, — i.e.,  the  family  physician. 


CHAPTER    yil. 

Laxative  Foods. 

There  is  a  constant  demand  among  mothers  for 
authoritative  knowledge  concerning  the  laxative  foods 
and  medicines  that  may  be  safely  used  in  the  nursery, 
and  of  methods  that  are  calculated  to  relieve  the  actual 
state  of  constipation.  One  mother  writes  that  she 
gives  to  her  child  a  teaspoonful  of  castor  oil  every  day 
with  no  permanent  relief  whatever,  a  result  to  have 
been  expected,  although  she  did  not  know  it.  A  safe 
rule  to  follow  in  regard  to  castor  oil  is  to  give  it  only 
when  it  appears  to  be  positively  necessary  to  cleanse  the 
intestinal  tract  of  matter  that  is  dangerous,  as  in  cases 
of  severe  diarrhoea,  cholera  infantum,  etc.  It  is  then 
in  all  probability  the  first  thing  to  do,  but  it  should 
even  then  be  given  under  a  competent  physician's  direc- 
tions if  possible,  and  be  purchased  at  a  reputable  phar- 
macist's. The  prevalent  abuse  of  laxative  medicines 
cannot  be  too  much  deplored  and  inveighed  against. 
Let  mothers  first  watch  the  food  of  their  children  ;  then 
see  if  it  is  assimilated,  and  if  not,  try  to  make  it  so  by 
constant  care  and  supervision.  Experience  will  soon 
educate  any  ordinarily  intelligent  woman  sufficiently  to 
show  her  whether  her  child's  food  is  being  properly 
digested  or  not.  If  food  is  too  concentrated,  as  in  a 
milk,  meat,  or  egg  diet,  there  is  little  waste.  This  is 
106 


LAXATIVE  FOODS.  107 

a  frequent  cause  of  constipation.  By  supplying  the 
bulk  in  food  required  by  the  use  of  cereals,  vegetables, 
and  fruits,  as  indicated  in  dietaries,  with  a  sufficiency 
of  water  to  drink,  this  condition  can  usually  be  cor- 
rected. Use  water  freely,  internally  as  well  as  exter- 
nally, keep  the  children  regular  as  to  time  for  stool,  and 
the  cry  for  laxative  medicines  for  nursery  use  will  in 
all  probability  become  a  thing  of  the  past.  Nature 
has  provided  sufficient  in  food  to  prevent  trouble  in 
this  direction ;  why  not  take  advantage  of  the  fact  ? 
Directions  are  frequently  given  very  generally  with 
no  specific  statement  as  to  just  what  is  to  be  done. 
Let  mothers  who  have  constipated  children  study  lists 
of  foods  advised  in  well-known  dietaries,  and  remem- 
ber always  that  bulk  in  food,  water, — an  abundance 
of  water, — and  massage  at  the  same  hour  every  day 
(rubbing  the  abdomen  gently  for  five  minutes  with 
the  palm  of  the  hand,  using  about  a  teaspoonful  of 
warm  olive  oil)  will  frequently  cure  the  most  stubborn 
case  of  constipation. 

Foods  that  are  decidedly  laxative  and  allowable  for 
children  are  ripe  peaches,  stewed  rhubarb,  stewed  or 
dried  prunes,  figs,  dates,  oranges,  apples,  oatmeal  por- 
ridge, bran  mush,  Indian  meal  mush,  whole  meal 
bread,  rye  and  Graham  bread,  all  cereals  made  of  the 
whole  grain,  tomatoes,  spinach,  boiled  Spanish  onions, 
etc.  Dr.  Thompson  *  says  constipation  may  result 
from  one  or  more  of  the  following  causes,  which  are 
related  to  diet : 

1.  Insufficient  quantity  of  solid  food. 

*  Practical  Dietetics. 


108  JSOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

2.  Too  hio^blv  nutritious  or  concentrated  food. 

3.  Insuflficient  fluid. 

4.  Astringent  food  and  drinks. 

5.  Indigestible  food. 

6.  Lack  of  digestive  fluids. 

7.  Irregularity  in  diet. 

8.  Obstruction  from  overeating^  especially  in  chil- 
dren. 

9.  Lack  of  peristalsis  (moveraent  of  the  intestinal 
wall). 

10.  Lack  of  exercise. 

All  vegetable  and  cereal  foods,  by  supplying  bulk, 
vegetable  acids,  and  salts,  help  to  correct  this  ten- 
dencv.  He  advises  the  early  use  of  fruits  as  whole- 
some and  highly  beneficial  if  taken  in  moderation, 
and  he  says  that  cooked  fruits  may  be  eaten  with  any 
meal,  but  when  fruit  is  eaten  for  special  dietetic  pur- 
poses its  effect  is  generally  more  pronounced  if  taken 
alone.  Children  should  take  it  at  the  commencement 
of  meals,  or  about  half  an  hour  before  breakfast,  with 
a  glass  of  water.  When  used  in  this  way  the  effect 
upon  the  bowels  is  more  marked.  Prunes,  being  de- 
cidedly laxative,  may  be  used  advantageously  two  or 
three  times  a  day  to  correct  a  sluggish  condition,  giving 
but  a  few  at  a  time,  either  dried,  stewed,  or  freshened 
as  directed  in  another  chapter.  Care  should  be  exer- 
cised in  selection,  the  largest  fruit  being  the  most  de- 
sirable for  several  reasons,  one  of  which  is  cleanliness, 
as  any  experienced  housekeeper  knows.  Figs  are  also 
decidedly  laxative,  and  if  taken  before  breakfast,  either 
stewed  or  plain,  will  often  cure  constipation. 

"  Molasses  and  honey  added  to  bread  are  laxative. 


LAXATIVE  FOODS.  109 

"  Gingerbread,  especially  for  children,  is  sometimes 
efficacious. 

"  Grape  juice  is  somewhat  laxative. 

"  Olive  oil  or  cod-liver  oil,  if  taken  at  bedtime  into 
an  empty  stomach,  is  laxative  for  some  persons,  espe- 
cially children. 

'^  With  many  persons  having  imperfect  digestion 
raw  fruits  disagree,  and  since  their  laxative  properties 
are  not  much  weakened  by  being  cooked,  it  is  better  to 
eat  them  in  that  form. 

"  A  few  fruits,  like  the  banana,  are  apt  to  cause  con- 
stipation. 

"  Owing  to  the  prevalent  idea  that  fresh  fruit  relieves 
constipation,  patients  occasionally  eat  too  much  of  it, 
with  the  result  of  producing  dyspepsia,  and  increasing 
their  original  trouble.'^ 

Laxatives  should  be  given  to  the  mother  when  con- 
stipation in  herself  causes  this  habit  in  nursing  infants. 
Water  may  be  given  to  the  infant  as  an  aid. 

Copious  draughts  of  water  are  most  important  aids. 
If  taken  slowly,  water  may  be  taken  in  moderation 
,with  meals,  and  a  sufficient  quantity  should  also  be 
given  between  meals,  before  breakfast  and  after  supper. 
It  seems  to  be  a  difficult  thing  to  impress  sufficiently 
upon  those  in  charge  of  children  the  importance  of  the 
use  of  water.  In  one  instance  brought  to  the  writer's 
notice,  a  physician  was  hurriedly  called  ten  miles  away 
at  midnight  to  see  an  infant  that  was  apparently  very 
ill.  He  suggested  giving  the  child  some  water  to  drink, 
which  was  done.  The  child  slept,  and  there  was  no 
further  difficulty.  The  mother  said  her  physician  had 
never  even  hinted  at  the  necessity  for  giving  an  infant 

10 


110  BOW"  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

water.  This  may  seem  incredible,  but  it  is  only  too 
true  that  cases  of  this  kind  occur  constantly.  The 
physician  takes  it  for  granted  that  the  mother's  com- 
mon sense  would  suggest  the  use  of  water  to  drink 
from  the  beginning,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  mother 
waits  for  specific  directions  in  every  detail,  and  fre- 
quently follows  only  those  that  suit  her  convenience. 
One  very  hot  day  in  July,  when  passing  through  Xew 
York,  I  met  a  mother  with  a  crying  baby,  fifteen  days 
old,  upon  an  open  street  car.  The  child  w^as  simply 
suffocated.  It  had  a  veil  over  its  face,  a  wool  coat 
and  cap,  and  an  unbearable  amount  of  other  clothing 
upon  its  poor  little  body.  I  ventured  to  suggest  to  the 
mother  that  the  child  was  crying  from  the  heat.  She 
looked  surprised,  said  she  feared  it  would  catch  cold, 
but  she  acted  on  the  suggestion,  took  off  the  veil,  un- 
buttoned the  coat,  removed  the  sleeves  from  the  child's 
arms,  and  untied  the  cap.  The  child  was  quiet  at 
once.  I  then  asked  her  if  she  gave  the  baby  water  to 
drink.  She  looked  surprised  again,  and  said  no.  I 
told  her  a  few  simple  things  necessary  for  baby's  com- 
fort, and,  saying, "  That  is  good  to  know,"  she  thanked 
me  so  gratefully  that  I  became  more  than  ever  con- 
vinced that  many  mothers  would  do  better  if  things 
were  made  more  simple  for  them,  that  they  might  un- 
derstand more  readily  without  the  mental  effort  to 
which  many  are  unaccustomed. 

Dr.  Alfred  K.  Hills  *  says  that  water  not  only  helps 
to  clean  the  stomach  of  its  contents  and  aid  in  the  di- 
gestion  of  food,   but  when  taken  up  by  the  blood- 

*  New  York  Medical  Times. 


LAXATIVE  FOODS.  Ill 

vessels  aids  in  normal  nutrition,  removes  effete  matter, 
and  relieves  congestion.  He  says  the  refreshing  draught 
of  fresh,  cool  water  should  not  be  withheld  from  pa- 
tients ;  that  it  should  be  constantly  offered  to  them ; 
that  in  acute  catarrh  of  the  stomach  there  is  no  agent 
which  gives  so  prompt  and  durable  relief  as  water, 
sipped  as  hot  as  it  can  be  borne.  Many  cases  of  dis- 
ordered digestion  are  due  entirely  to  lack  of  sufficient 
water.  A  baby  should  be  offered  water  six  or  seven 
times  a  day.  !For  older  children,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  water  is  needed  according  to  activity  and  to 
bodily  temperature, — the  greater  the  activity  the  greater 
the  need  for  water. 

A  child  weighing  forty  pounds  should  drink  at  least 
twenty  ounces  of  water  a  day,  and  hot  weather  calls  for 
more.  Let  every  mother  impress  thoroughly  upon  her 
mind  the  fact  that  if  her  child  becomes  constipated, 
she  should  endeavor  first  to  correct  the  trouble  by  the 
methods  indicated  above,  with  the  use  of  massage  at  a 
regular  hour  every  day,  and  if  necessary  a  daily  enema 
of  warm  water  containing  a  little  salt,  before  flying  to 
the  relief  offered  by  preparations  that  claim  to  be  effi- 
cacious under  all  circumstances  and  conditions.  A 
very  forcible  illustration  of  the  inefficiency  of  so-called 
laxatives  is  brought  to  my  mind  in  the  case  of  a  child 
who  was  treated  medically  for  more  than  a  year  for 
what  appeared  to  be  stubborn  constipation.  It  ran  the 
gamut  of  all  the  best  medicaments  to  be  had,  with  no 
permanent  relief.  The  mother  eventually,  in  despair, 
abandoned  all  medicinal  treatment,  gave  a  da^ily  enema 
of  salt  and  water,  daily  massage  at  a  regular  hour,  in- 
sisted upon  a  regular  time  for  stool,  saw  to  it  person- 


112  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

ally  that  the  child  had  a  bountiful  supply  of  drinking 
uater  and  laxative  foods,  such  as  are  indicated,  with 
the  result  of  correcting  a  habit  that  never  returned, 
and  that  at  one  time  caused  grave  apprehension  both 
upon  the  part  of  the  mother  and  physician,  whose  re- 
liance upon  medicine  instead  of  dietetics  and  hygiene 
evidently  caused  all  the  trouble. 


CHAPTER    YIII. 
Nursery  Desserts. 

Dr.  Uffelmanx  says  that  in  constructing  the  diet 
of  the  child  it  is  important  to  remember  at  the  outset 
that  it  requires  much  less  variety  of  food  than  do  grown 
persons.  No  sweets  or  other  delicacies  are  required  to 
gratify  the  palate.  The  child  at  the  breast  receives  the 
same  food  day  after  day,  and  only  one  sweet, — sugar. 
Children  two  or  three  years  old  thrive  on  a  uniform 
fare  of  milk,  bread,  and  meal,  and  the  pleasures  of  the 
table  do  not  agree  with  them.  Dr.  Mary  Putnam 
Jacobi  says  these  pleasures  are  not  appreciated  until 
much  later  in  life. 

Mothers,  however,  for  varying  causes,  frequently 
meet  with  the  difficulty  of  catering  to  a  capricious  ap- 
petite, the  desire  for  change  of  foods,  etc. ;  therefore 
if  a  simple  dessert  will  tempt  a  child  to  eat  a  suffi- 
cient meal,  it  should,  no  doubt,  be  given,  as  with  care 
it  may  be  made  to  contain  a  large  proportion  of  the 
nutriment  required  for  each  meal,  and  prove  a  valua- 
ble supplement  to  a  child's  menu.  In  reply  to  a  query 
concerninp;  ice  cream  for  children,  Dr.  Yale  savs  *  that 
a  great  distinction  is  to  be  made  between  those  who 
can  and  those  who  cannot  eat  sweets.  He  says,  ^^  There 
is  a  very  large  class  of  people  who  cannot  safely  eat 

*  Nursery  Problems. 
h  10*  113 


114  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

mucli  of  certain  things  (sweets,  starchy  food,  including 
bread,  potatoes,  and  many  others  seemingly  harm- 
less) without  sooner  or  later  suffering  for  it  in  some 
way.  This  group  of  j^ersons  are  called  the  gouty. 
They  are  relatively  more  abundant  among  the  head 
workers  than  the  hand  workers.  The  offspring  of  such 
persons  early  show  this  inability  to  dispose  proj)erly 
of  sweets,  and  to  such  children  even,  ice  cream  is  not 
harmless.  It  is  a  natural  desire  to  give  pleasure  to 
our  children  in  simple  gratification  of  their  palates, 
and  the  rule  ^ye  give  to  those  asking  advice  is,  ^See 
that  the  ice  cream  is  of  a  really  simple  kind ;  give 
it  in  small  quantities  at  rare  intervals,  say  at  Sunday 
dinner  or  some  other  easily  remembered  time ;  watch 
to  see  if  the  next  two  or  three  days  are  as  free  from 
indigestion  or  from  fretfulness  as  other  days,  and  from 
other  evidences  of  disorder.'  We  speak  at  length  re- 
garding the  ice  cream  because  this  involves  the  whole 
principle  of  sweet  eating.'^ 

AVe  quote  at  length  from  the  same  j^ractical  stand- 
point. If  no  sign  of  indigestion,  such  as  acidity  or 
flatulence,  follows  the  moderate  use  of  sweets  within 
two  or  three  days,  they  are  harmless.  Let  it  be  noted 
that  the  mischief  from  sweets  is  not  immediately  ob- 
served. 

It  must  never  be  forgotten  in  the  application  of  food 
principles  that  the  chief  value  of  food  lies  in  its  digesti- 
bility, not  in  what  it  contains ;  hence  the  need  for 
careful  observation  of  individual  idiosyncrasies.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  specific  directions  in  any  connection 
that  would  suit  every  case.  Suggestions  only  can  be 
given,  and  the  intelKgent  mother  will,  in  following 


NURSERY  DESSERTS.  115 

them  up,  be  able  to  detect  needs  she  might  not  other- 
Avise  have  noted,  and  will  also  be  able  to  sup])ly  them. 
The  following  recipes  have  been  tested,  and  may  be 
used  for  any  child  in  fair  health,  as  soon  as  simj^le 
desserts  are  ordinarily  allowed,  which,  under  average 
conditions,  is  after  two  or  two  and  a  half  years.  For 
the  earlier  desserts,  fruit  juices,  which  are  among  the 
first  to  be  given,  have  already  been  discussed. 

JUNKET   AND    CUSTARDS. 

Junket,  made  with  essence  of  pepsin  (Fairchild's),  is 
one  of  the  first  solid  desserts  to  be  recommended,  and 
it  may  be  given  at  eighteen  months,  as  it  contains  a 
large  amount  of  nutriment,  is  easily  digested,  and  is 
usually  very  acceptable.  It  can  be  varied  for  later 
years  in  several  ways, — by  the  use  of  beaten  raw  egg 
stirred  in  the  milk,  or  by  using  any  flavor  that  is  not 
acid.  A  baked  apple  is  also  one  of  the  first  desserts 
allowed.  A  sound  ripe  apple  baked  properly  is  an 
easily  digested  delicacy,  taldng  but  an  hour  and  a  half 
for  preparation  in  the  stomach  for  assimilation.  It  is 
nourishing,  a  stimulant,  and  altogether  a  food  to  be 
commended  for  nursery  use,  and  it  may  be  used  as 
one  of  the  first  important  changes  when  making  addi- 
tions to  a  child's  dietary  of  milk  and  cereals.  As 
stated  elsewhere,  Dr.  Eotch  allows  it  to  be  used  from 
the  fourteenth  to  the  fifteenth  month. 

A  very  satisfactory  way  to  bake  an  apple  for  nursery 
use  is  to  peel  and  core  it  carefully,  pour  a  cup  of  cold 
water  over  it,  sprinkle  lightly  with  sugar,  cover  closely, 
and  bake  until  tender  in  a  moderate  oven.  If  carefully 
done,  it  should  be  as  juicy  and  soft  as  jelly. 


116  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

Among  the  lighter  desserts  are  whipped  cream  and 
soft  custards.  These  are  easily  prepared,  and  give 
sufficient  variety  until  a  child  is  three  years  old,  when 
ice  cream,  rice  pudding,  orange  float,  tapioca,  farina, 
and  the  various  milk  puddings  may  follow  in  their 
order. 

The  chief  point  to  remember  in  the  selection  of  des- 
serts is  that  when  the  child  has  a  full  menu  for  the 
earlier  part  of  the  dinner — e.g.,  meat  or  broth,  one 
cereal  (rice),  one  juicy  vegetable  (puree  of  spinach), 
and  bread  and  butter — a  fruit  or  a  light  dessert  is  called 
for.  But  when  for  unavoidable  reasons  the  main  part 
of  the  dinner  is  light,  as,  for  instance,  bread  and  butter 
and  beef  broth,  a  substantial  dessert  should  be  chosen, 
— i.e.,  rice  or  tapioca  pudding,  milk  jelly  or  cup  custard, 
all  of  which  contain  the  constituents  of  a  varied  diet, 
and  thus  supplement  what  would  otherwise  be  an  in- 
sufficient meal.  When  carrying  out  this  idea,  eggs 
should  be  added  to  the  milk  puddings,  omitting  them 
when  lighter  desserts  are  needed. 

Soft  or  cup  custards  may  be  made  white  or  yellow 
by  using  or  omitting  half  of  the  egg.  They  may  also 
be  colored  and  flavored  with  fruit  juices,  as  cherry, 
prune,  raspberry,  etc.  The  proportions  for  a  white 
cup  custard  would  be  the  whites  of  three  eggs  to  a 
pint  of  milk,  and  one  or  two  whole  eggs  for  the  yellow 
for  the  same  quantity  of  milk.  When  using  fruit 
juices  for  custards  take  less  milk  in  proportion  to  the 
quantity  of  juice  used.  Always  use  hot  milk  when 
adding  the  sugar  and  salt,  and  for  a  soft  custard  stir 
in  a  double  pan  or  boiler  until  it  thickens,  using  more 
milk  than  is  called  for  in  a  recipe  for  cup  custard.     A 


NURSERY  DESSERTS.  117 

soft  custard  should  boil  three  minutes.  A  q\\\)  custard 
should  be  poured  into  cups,  set  in  a  pan  of  hot  water, 
and  baked  twenty  minutes  in  a  hot  oven. 

Gelatin  may  be  used  in  the  nursery  in  a  variety  of 
ways.  Dissolve  one-half  box  in  one  pint  of  water, 
one-half  cup  of  sugar,  and  one-quarter  pint  of  fruit 
juice,  using  lemon  and  orange,  currant  juice  and  lemon, 
prune  juice  (one  pound  of  prunes  to  a  quart  of  water 
boiled  to  a  syrup),  grape  juice,  blackberry  syrup,  or 
one  made  from  cranberries,  remembering  the  astringent 
properties  of  both  blackberries  and  cranberries  and 
the  laxative  quality  of  prunes.  Boil  the  mixture,  with 
whatever  flavor,  strain  and  cool  on  ice — covered,  as 
gelatin  readily  absorbs  germs,  odors,  etc. 

Plain  jelly  made  according  to  these  directions,  fla- 
vored with  orange,  vanilla,  or  lemon,  and  whipped  with 
cream  before  it  is  quite  firm,  is  a  delicate  and  appetizing 
dessert. 

Whipped  cream  flavored  with  prune  juice,  or  with 
a  small  quantity  of  dry  cocoa,  is  another  dainty  dessert. 

Grape  sauce,  or  jelly  made  with  gelatin,  is  espe- 
cially refreshing  to  convalescents. 

A  simple  fruit  jam,  made  without  the  seeds  or  skins 
of  the  fruit,  may  be  used  occasionally  with  bread  and 
butter  for  children  over  three  years  of  age. 

As  mentioned  before,  these  desserts  can  be  easily 
made  by  any  plain  cook.  The  value  of  the  sugges- 
tions lies  in  the  variety  that  may  be  given  to  two 
seemingly  conventional  desserts, — custard  and  gelatin. 

Milk  puddings  may  be  equally  varied  by  using  a 
little  judgment,  a  little  experimenting,  and  by  choosing 
simple,  sweet  ingredients,  such  as  tapioca  w^ith  fruit, 


118  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

rice  with  or  without  eggs,  barley  flour  with  orange 
flavoring,  bread  crumbs  or  bread  soaked  in  milk  with 
chocolate  or  apple  and  eggs  added,  etc. 

Irish  moss,  dissolved  and  used  with  corn  starch, 
made  into  blanc-mange  is  a  pleasant  change.  Add 
chocolate  to  the  ordinary  recipe  for  blanc-mange,  and 
serve  with  sweet  cream,  for  another  variation. 

Milk  jelly  is  the  only  dessert  mentioned  that  may 
not  be  generally  known.  It  is  said  to  be  retained  by 
the  most  sensitive  stomach,  and  will  nourish  when 
almost  nothing  else  will  be  tolerated. 

Heat  one  quart  of  milk,  then  add  and  stir  until 
dissolved  one  pound  of  granulated  sugar ;'  add  an 
ounce  of  gelatin  dissolved,  and  allow  the  mixture  to 
boil  for  ten  minutes.  Before  straining  and  cooling, 
add  the  juice  of  three  lemons  or  any  flavoring  desired. 
Pour  into  cups,  cover,  and  keep  in  a  cool  place. 

With  the  varieties  suggested,  and  the  long  list  of 
stewed  fruits  and  fruit  juices  that  may  be  used,  it 
seems  incredible  that  mothers  will  persist  in  feeding 
their  little  darlings  with  sweetmeats,  doughnuts,  cookies, 
heavy  rich  cakes,  preserves,  and  canned  fruits,  even, 
as  the  writer  has  seen,  going  so  far  as  to  give  them 
tea  and  coifee,  with  no  consideration  whatever  for  the 
delicacy  of  the  child's  digestion. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Summer  Diet. 

At  this  season  of  the  year,  if  at  no  other,  should 
excellence  in  the  preparation  of  simple  foods  be  the 
rule,  more  especially  for  the  use  of  children.  Elabora- 
tion should  give  way  to  simplicity ;  indeed,  in  the  nur- 
sery elaboration  should  never  appear.  A  steak  or  a 
chop  perfectly  broiled,  well-baked  bread,  pure  milk, 
heated  or  modified  as  required,  carefully  selected  fruit, 
vegetables  that  are  well  chosen  and  properly  prepared, 
and  the  avoidance  of  sweets  and  pastry,  will  prove 
potent  factors  in  carrying  a  flock  of  little  ones  safely 
through  the  hot  months  of  July  and  August.  As  I 
have  frequently  said,  too  much  attention  cannot  be 
given  to  the  care  of  milk,  heating  at  167°  F.  being  the 
only  safe  plan,  and  one  not  to  be  lightly  set  aside  from 
considerations  of  convenience.  This  is  imperative  for 
nursery  health  when  the  ordinary  milk-supply  must  be 
depended  upon,  as  scarcely  a  month  passes  that  we  do 
not  hear  of  an  outbreak  of  diphtheria,  typhoid  or 
scarlet  fever,  etc.  With  the  additional  dread  of  tuber- 
culosis and  cholera  infantum  in  summer,  mothers  who 
take  the  precaution  to  follow  the  above  plan  may  rest 
assured  of  at  least  one  point  as  to  summer  diet, — 
namely,  that  the  milk  which  is  or  should  be  the  base 
of  the  greater  portion  of  nursery  food  is  sweet  and  safe 
to  use  for  a  child  of  any  age. 

Proper  preparation  of  milk  is  equally  important  at 

119 


120  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

this  period.  It  will  not  do  to  risk  the  dangers  of 
cholera  infantum  by  lack  of  care  in  this  direction. 
The  basis  of  human  milk  must  be  reached  in  some 
way  for  very  young  children.  Analyses  have  shown 
how  this  can  be  done,  and  there  is  no  longer  any  reason 
why  an  infant's  chances  of  death  in  summer  should  be 
so  great  as  they  have  been. 

Physicians  may  now  be  found  in  every  direction  who 
pay  especial  attention  to  children's  diet,  and  who  will 
gladly  show  any  mother  how  she  may  safely  reach  the 
basis  of  human  milk.  It  is  to  her  discredit  if  she  does 
not  take  advantage  of  this  fact,  notwithstanding  the 
usual  advisory  remarks  of  her  neighbor  as  to  giving  baby 
undiluted  cow's  milk,  etc.,  because  she  did  and  because 
her  mother  had  done  so  before  her.  Such  an  adviser 
never  mentions  the  periodical  attacks  of  indigestion 
constantly  met  with,  especially  during  the  much-dreaded 
and  taken-for-granted  second  summer,  which  need  not 
be  the  bugbear  it  is  if  attention  be  given  to  an  infant's 
needs  in  regard  to  pure  and  properly  prepared  milk  and 
other  foods,  to  hygiene,  and  the  use  of  sufficient  water. 
It  seems  necessary  to  iterate  and  reiterate  the  facts  con- 
nected with  the  use  of  water  in  infant  feeding,  as  it  is  a 
feature  that  is  too  frequently  underestimated.  Many  a 
child's  suffering  has  been  relieved  by  a  few  teaspoonfuls 
of  boiled  water  that  has  been  cooled  (not  iced),  and 
given  at  frequent  intervals  during  a  hot  day.  This 
should  be  the  rule,  not  the  exception,  from  birth.  Chil- 
dren a  few  years  old  need  a  great  deal  more ;  a  pint  a 
day  is  not  too  much  for  a  five-year-old  child,  and 
during  very  hot  weather,  when  perspiration  is  excessive, 
the  need  is  even  greater. 


SUMMER  DIET.  121 

Another  point  to  remember  at  this  season  is  that  a 
child  is  overfed  if  it  cannot  digest  its  food  :  hence  if 
there  is  trouble  of  this  kind  either  the  food  should  be 
changed,  or  the  child  should  not  be  fed  at  all  for  a  short 
time,  according  to  its  condition.  Frequently,  after  a 
meal  has  been  omitted  and  a  concentrated,  easily  assim- 
ilable food  been  given  instead,  as,  for  instance,  a. cup  of 
peptonized  milk,  all  signs  of  trouble  will  vanish.  The 
use  of  this  milk  in  summer  must  be  emphasized,  for  many 
reasons.  It  may  not  be  possible  to  procure  laboratory 
milk ;  the  Fairchild  process  is  easy,  and  for  convales- 
cents and  ailing  children  it  is  an  invaluable  aid.  There 
is  every  reason  in  favor  of  its  use  for  infants  who  must 
be  fed  artificially  from  birth,  when  laboratory  milk  pre- 
scribed by  a  physician  is  not  to  be  had,  as  it  resembles 
very  closely  the  natural  food  of  which  the  child  has  been 
deprived,  and  it  does  away  entirely  with  the  use  of  the 
pernicious,  starchy,  so-called  infant  foods  that  flood  the 
market.  The  approach  of  warm  weather  always  brings 
to  the  thoughtful  mother  the  consciousness  of  increased 
care,  as  this  is  the  season  requiring  the  exercise  of  much 
forethought  in  regard  to  the  diet  of  the  little  ones. 
This  is  particularly  true  in  regard  to  food  for  older 
children  in  the  summer-time,  a  trying  period  for  the 
one  who  provides,  not  so  much  in  finding  variety, 
as  in  being  able  to  make  the  proper  selections  from 
the  tempting  supply  of  fresh  fruits  and  vegetables 
oiFered,  and  in  discarding  the  foods  that  are  unsuitable 
for  the  hot  months.  Oatmeal,  the  reliance  of  many  for 
breakfast  in  winter,  must  now  be  frequently  discarded, 
as  it  often  proves  too  heating.  It  may  occasionally 
be  used,  however,  in  the  form  of  oat  jelly  for  children 
F  11 


122  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

who  are  very  foud  of  oatmeal^  as  some  will  not  eat 
hominy  or  wheat.  The  latter  is  a  perfect  summer 
cereal  if  well  cooked^  and  efforts  should  be  made  to 
teach  children  to  eat  it  by  preparing  it  in  an  appetizing 
manner,  serving  it  daintily,  etc.  As  eggs  may  be  used 
but  two  or  three  times  a  week,  the  breakfast  menu  in 
summer  taken  all  together  is  the  first  stumbling-block, 
and  one  likely  to  give  trouble  if  not  considered  care- 
fully. Almost  all  children,  especially  those  of  a  ner- 
vous temperament  or  an  anaemic  type,  are  better  for 
having  had  a  hearty  breakfast  and  one  of  sufficient 
variety  to  tempt  the  appetite.  If  mothers  will  step  out 
of  the  beaten  track  and  provide  dainty  dishes  that  are 
not  looked  for  at  this  hour,  they  will  be  surprised  to  see 
how  quickly  their  efforts  will  be  ajDpreciated.  In  sea- 
son, for  children  over  five,  a  few  sound,  perfectly  ri]3e 
strawberries  (only  four  or  five),  with  the  hulls  on, — the 
berries  should  be  sweet  enough  to  eat  without  sugar, — 
or  half  a  dozen  large  cherries  (oxhearts),  perfectly  ripe, 
laid  upon  the  fruit-plate  for  the  beginning  of  the  meal, 
followed  by  dainty  slices  of  well-baked,  whole- meal 
bread  and  butter,  and  half  a  dozen  asparagus  tops  that 
have  been  boiled  tender  in  salted  water,  with  a  glass  of 
cold  or  warm  beef  tea  as  preferred,  and  a  spoonful  of 
well-boiled  and  well- seasoned  rice,  will  make  a  most 
satisfying  and  appetizing  variation  from  the  usual  menu 
of  eggs,  oatmeal,  potatoes,  etc.,  and  it  will  be  one  that 
a  child  will  be  sure  to  enjoy. 

Dainty  serving  is  one  of  the  most  important  ad- 
juncts in  nursery  feeding.  If  the  fancy  of  a  child  is 
pleased,  he  will,  in  all  probability,  eat  most  heartily. 
On  a  very  hot  morning  I  frequently  find  that  I  can 


SUMMER  DIET.  123 

invite  sufficient  appetite  by  building  engines  or  toy 
houses^  etc.^  of  small  pieces  of  bread,  well  buttered 
with  cold  butter.  A  little  lump  of  butter  is  placed  on 
each  piece  of  bread,  not  spread  on  in  the  usual  nursery 
style,  which,  to  say  the  least,  is  not  inviting ;  a  very 
few  crisp  bits  of  fat  broiled  bacon  may  here  and  there 
take  the  place  of  butter.  This  may  all  be  put  upon 
a  decorated  plate  to  suggest  a  story  to  the  child.  I 
have  often  seen  a  delicate  child,  one  of  the  kind  who 
would  rather  play  than  eat,  take  unconsciously  a  satis- 
factory meal  while  he  was  being  entertained  with  an  in- 
teresting story  about  a  dear  little  cherub  on  his  plate  who 
was  pictured  as  eating  an  apple.  I  have  seen  this  same 
child  drink  glass  after  glass  of  milk  when  it  was  served 
in  a  wineglass  with  a  stem,  whereas  he  would  invari- 
ably refuse  milk  if  it  was  given  in  a  cup  or  a  tumbler, 
saying  he  was  not  hungry.  There  is  a  fitness  of  things 
that  must  be  considered  when  feeding  children,  and  at 
no  time  is  it  more  necessary  than  in  summer,  when  the 
intense  heat  tries  the  temper  even  of  adults,  who  are 
certainly  more  resistant  than  children  to  the  various 
climatic  changes  to  which  we  are  usually  subjected. 

A  cool-looking  dining-room,  shaded  to  rest  the  eyes, 
with  inviting  n apery  and  pretty  table  appointments, 
flowers,  etc.,  is  inseparable  from  comfortable  summer 
life.  What  could  be  more  inviting  to  the  eye,  as  well 
as  to  the  appetite,  of  a  fretful  child  who  has  probably 
been  awakened  too  early  by  the  heat,  or  who  has  passed 
a  restless  night  for  the  same  reason,  than  the  sight  of 
a  prettily  laid  breakfast  table, — flowers,  fruits,  and 
some  little  surprise  at  his  plate  to  charm  away  his 
languor  ?     A  dish  of  cold  snow  pudding,  which  con- 


124  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

tains  ingredients  that  are  all  beneficial  for  a  child 
(gelatin^  eggs,  fruit  juice,  etc.),  will  work  like  a 
charm.  A  glass  of  milk  and  a  few  dainty  fingers  of 
bread  and  butter  will  complete  a  satisfactory  breakfast 
for  hot  weather.  It  is  well  to  remember  in  midsum- 
mer-time that  a  light  early  breakfast  is  preferable  to  a 
heavy  later  one,  if  it  is  supplemented  by  a  glass  of 
milk  or  of  beef  tea,  with  a  few  crackers  or  a  piece  of 
zT^deback,  to  be  given  midway  between  breakfast  and 
dinner.  Beef  broth  or  cocoa  should  be  given  instead 
of  milk  to  drink  when  cherries  or  strawberries  are 
taken  at  breakfast.  \Yhen  cherries  are  given,  they 
must  be  in  perfect  condition,  and  results  must  be  care- 
fully noted.  Unless  stewed,  they  are  frequently  not  a 
safe  fruit  until  after  second  dentition. 

Tapioca  is  of  great  value  in  summer  diet.  It  may 
be  used  in  a  variety  of  ways  for  any  meal  in  the  day, 
either  for  dinner  dessert  or  for  the  main  portion  of  the 
breakfast  or  supper  meal. 

During  very  hot  weather  meat  should  be  sjDaringly 
used ;  broths,  eggs,  milk,  and  macaroni  should  take  its 
place.  Baked  potatoes  aud  rice  are  preferable  for 
starchy  foods  at  this  season.  Hice  possesses  no  fat,  and 
potatoes  are  nearly  all  water. 

Great  care  is  necessary  to  cook  potatoes  properly. 
As  stated  before,  they  should  be  baked  in  a  very  hot 
oven,  one  that  is  hot  enough  to  bake  a  potato  of  mod- 
erate size  in  half  an  hour  if  possible.  Rice  also  should 
be  subjected  to  steady  rapid  boiling  for  thirty  minutes, 
then  treated  as  directed  on  page  94,  so  that  each  grain 
may  be  double  its  first  size  and  distinct  from  every 
other.    The  pasty  concoction  served  frequently  to  chil- 


SUMMER  DIET.  125 

dren  as  boiled  or  steamed  rice  is  an  abomination,  and 
not  to  be  tolerated  in  any  well-regulated  nursery. 

For  dinner  menus  in  summer  use  well-made  broths 
and  soups,  an  occasional  chop,  a  tablespoonful  of  scraped 
beef  pulp  that  has  been  lightly  broiled,  or  a  piece  of  fish, 
broiled,  boiled,  baked,  or  creamed,  never  fried,  prefer- 
ably broiled,  remembering  to  give  broths  and  fish  more 
frequently  than  meat,  and  using  well-boiled  macaroni 
or  spaghetti  with  a  dinner  menu  that  is  minus  meat, 
and  rice  and  potatoes  with  broths  and  fish.  Fish,  to 
be  useful  in  the  nursery,  as  stated  elsewhere,  must  be 
fresh  and  of  the  right  kind.  Being  less  stimulating 
and  more  easily  digested  than  meat,  it  may  be  used 
frequently  during  summer.  Only  the  white-fleshed  fish 
should  be  used,  and  the  flesh  should  be  firm  and  hard. 
For  variety,  it  may  sometimes  be  creamed  as  directed  on 
page  82,  and  served  with  white  sauce  in  which  beaten 
egg  has  been  stirred.  A  piece  of  broiled  or  creamed 
fish  with  good  bread  and  butter,  a  little  honey,  and  a 
glass  of  milk  will  make  a  satisfactory  and  easily  pre- 
pared dinner  for  a  hot  day,  supplying  every  constituent 
that  is  needed.  Another  equally  desirable,  easily  pre- 
pared summer  menu  is  a  spoonful  of  broiled  scraped 
beef,  with  steamed  or  boiled  rice  over  which  a  fruit 
juice  or  a  vegetable  sauce  or  puree  has  been  poured. 
This,  with  bread  and  butter,  will  give  a  very  simple  yet 
satisfactory  meal.  Children  frequently  enjoy  having 
only  one  or  two  dishes  at  a  time,  especially  if  they  are 
favorite  dishes.  It  requires  very  little  forethought  to 
select  menus  that  will  give  them  what  they  like,  yet  at 
the  same  time  what  they  require.  It  is  a  mistake  to 
suppose  that  children  desire  during  their  earliest  years 

11* 


126  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

a  great  variety  of  food  at  every  meal ;  nor  do  they  need 
it.  A  little  observation  of  their  manner  of  receiving 
the  announcement  of  a  new  dish,  as  compared  with  the 
shout  of  delight  upon  the  appearance  of  an  old  favorite 
that  has  probably  not  been  seen  for  several  days,  will 
demonstrate  to  any  mother  the  truth  of  this  assertion. 

During  hot  weather  it  is  well  to  remember,  for  many 
and  obvious  reasons,  to  give  less  variety  at  a  time,  and 
to  have  the  articles  well  prepared  and  well  combined, 
not  in  the  least  neglecting  the  use  of  foods  containing 
salts  (fruit  and  fresh  vegetables).  For  dinner  menus 
in  summer,  use  meat,  fish,  and  eggs  alternately,  never 
together ;  with  them  use  one  starchy  food,  as  baked 
potato,  rice,  spaghetti,  etc.,  and  one  food  supplying  salts, 
either  fruit  or  vegetables,  sometimes  giving  the  latter 
class  of  food  as  directed  above,  in  the  form  of  a  fruit 
sauce  or  vegetable  puree  over  rice,  etc.  When  con- 
structing summer  menus  select  broths  instead  of  meats 
for  use  with  macaroni  or  spaghetti,  which  are  part 
proteids,  but  in  menus  calling  for  starchy  foods  like 
rice  and  potatoes,  select  meats  and  fish  (proteids)  alter- 
nately, and  complete  both  menus  with  some  salt-giving 
food  (fresh  vegetables  or  fruit).  A  vegetable  puree  is  an 
especially  desirable  summer  food  (page  88).  Blanc- 
mange may  be  made  from  farina,  from  wheat  (cooked 
very  soft  and  pressed  through  a  puree  sieve),  from  rice, 
tapioca,  or  gluten.  When  served  with  fruit  juice  or 
sauce,  it  makes  a  pleasant  change,  and  one  that  is  usually 
enjoyed  by  the  little  ones. 

Avoid  at  all  times,  but  especially  in  summer,  the 
use  of  sweets  that  are  cloying,  over-  or  under-ripe 
fruit,  stale  vegetables,  and  too  much  meat.     Carbo- 


SUMMER  DIET.  127 

hydrates  (sugars  and  starches)  should  be  given  in  the 
proportion  of  four  to  one  of  proteids  (meat,  eggs,  etc.). 
When  corn  is  young  and  tender,  a  corn  omelet,  with 
bread  and  butter  and  a  glass  of  milk,  makes  a  satisfac- 
tory dinner  for  a  hot  day.     Score  the  grains  of  corn 
through  the  middle,  and  press  out  enough  pulp  to  flavor 
an  omelet.     Use  the  recipe  given  elsewhere  for  a  tender 
omelet  (page  172),  putting  in  the  vegetable  pulp  just 
before  folding,  as  it  requires  but  a  few  minutes  for  cook- 
ing.   Do  not  allow  the  omelet  to  get  dry.    It  should  be 
moist  and  soft  when  served.     This  is  delicious  when 
properly  cooked  and  well  seasoned.     Puree  of  stewed 
onions,  or  a  teaspoonful  of  raw  onion  juice,  or  grated 
onion,  or  any  other  vegetable  allowed  in  the  nursery, 
may  be  used  instead  of  the  corn  pulp  for  making  these 
omelets.     This  plan  of  only  one  or  two  dishes  for  din- 
ner should  not  be  followed  continuously.     It  is  sug- 
gested for  the  occasional  relief  of  the  busy  mother  who 
at  this  season  of  the  year  finds  herself  overtaxed,  and 
she  must  receive  her  due  share  of  consideration  in  all 
these  matters,  as  a  child's  well-being,  not  only  physically 
but  mentally,  depends  upon  the  mother's  condition.    An 
occasional  use  of  this  plan  prevents  satiety  also  upon  the 
part  of  the  child. 

Macaroni  or  spaghetti,  boiled  tender  first  and  then 
simmered  in  beef  broth,  cream,  or  milk,  is  a  perfect 
one-course  dinner  for  a  child,  and  one  that  is  usually 
appreciated.  A  glass  of  milk  and  bread  and  butter 
should  be  given  with  it. 

Desserts  in  summer  may  frequently  be  supplementary 
foods.  By  this  I  mean  that  eggs,  rice,  tapioca,  milk, 
etc.,  may  be  freely  used  in  desserts,  and  this  portion  of 


128  BOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

the  meal  may  contain  a  large  share  of  the  nourishment 
required  for  the  entire  meal.  In  this  form  these  ingre- 
dients are  easily  digested^  and  the  other  part  of  a  menu 
containing  one  of  'these  desserts  need  not  be  so  heavy 
as  in  cold  weather,  thus  somewhat  relieving  digestion 
at  a  time  when  relief  is  required. 

What  to  give  to  the  children  for  supper,  especially  in 
summer,  may  seem  a  trifling  matter,  yet  it  is  really  of 
the  utmost  importance.  A  child's  rest  at  night  depends 
very  largely  upon  what  it  has  had  to  eat  at  this  meal. 
Two  safe  rules  to  follow  are,  never  to  give  a  heavy  sup- 
per, and  never,  if  possible,  to  give  it  later  than  five  or 
half-past  five  o'clock,  until  a  child  is  six  years  old,  thus 
leaving  an  hour  and  a  half  to  intervene  before  it  is  time 
for  the  nightly  sponge,  which  is  so  refreshing  before 
bedtime  in  hot  weather,  and  which,  with  a  well-selected 
supper,  induces  sleep  in  defiance  of  the  heat,  however 
oppressive.  I  find  it  is  not  unusual  for  mothers  to  give 
the  evening  meal  to  their  little  ones  as  late  as  half-past 
six  or  seven  o'clock,  in  some  instances  as  late  as  half- 
past  seven,  for  their  own  convenience,  and  yet  they  will 
visit  physicians  regularly  and  ask  advice  as  to  what 
should  be  done  to  make  their  children  sleep  soundly, 
complaining  that  they  are  restless,  wakeful,  easily  dis- 
turbed, etc.  A  child  who  has  had  a  simple  and  early 
supper  will  be  found,  if  well,  to  protest  against  being 
disturbed,  and  will  want  to  sleep.  It  is  possible  and 
very  desirable  to  give  even  a  baby  its  ten  or  eleven 
o'clock  bottle,  which  should  be  its  last  feeding  for  the 
night,  without  thoroughly  awaking  it  (page  1 63),  thus 
encouraging  the  habit  of  continuous  sleep  from  seven  to 
seven,  which  once  established  is  the  greatest  boon  that 


SUMMER   DIET.  129 

a  tired  mother  can  ask,  and  is  of  equal  benefit  to  the 
child. 

Sleeplessness  or  disturbed  sleep  in  a  child  either 
points  to  a  faulty  regimen  or  is  the  forerunner  of  dis- 
ease^ and  it  invariably  needs  attention  and  correction. 
It  is  one  of  the  safest  indications  for  the  mother  who  is 
concerned  as  to  the  condition  of  her  child. 

The  old-fashioned  bowl  of  bread  and  milk  cannot 
be  improved  upon  for  a  child's  supper^  if  the  milk  be 
sweet  and  the  bread  well  baked  and  made  of  good 
flour.  A  half-dozen  prunes  added,  stewed  or  fresh- 
ened as  directed  on  page  173,  will  make  as  satisfactory 
a  snpper  as  it  is  possible  to  find  for  a  child  over  two  and 
a  half  years  of  age.  Graham  crackers  in  place  of  the 
bread^  with  clarified  apples  made  according  to  the  recipe 
given,  is  another  simple  yet  desirable  summer  menu. 
An  occasional  dish  of  rice  and  milk  or  a  baked  potato 
is  frequently  suggested,  and  may  be  admissible,  but  it 
is  much  wiser  in  hot  w^eather  to  reserve  rice  for  break- 
fast— to  be  used  instead  of  the  more  heating  cereals — 
and  baked  potatoes  for  dinner.  With  well-cooked  rice 
or  wheat  for  breakfast,  potato,  macaroni,  or  spaghetti 
for  dinner,  and  the  occasional  use  of  farina  or  tapioca, 
the  matter  of  starchy  foods  in  summer  should  be  pretty 
well  covered,  leaving  supper  menus  to  be  supplied  with 
dishes  that  are  more  simple  and  more  certain  of  not 
disturbing  a  night's  rest. 

The  use  of  stewed  fruit  is  to  be  advocated  for  all 
times  and  all  seasons  of  the  year,  after  two  and  one- 
half  years,  and  if  fruit  at  all  be  given  at  the  evening 
meal,  it  should  be  cooked.  Fresh  fruit  should  never 
be  given  to  children  after  dinner.     I  have  frequently 


130  ROW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

heard  this  question  discussed,  and  many  mothers  are  in 
favor  of  giving  it  later  in  the  day,  but  I  cannot  alter  my 
opinion  tliat  fresh  fruit  should  not  be  given  to  young 
children  later  than  at  the  one  o'clock  dinner.  There 
is  no  necessity,  at  any  rate,  for  doing  so,  as  any  child, 
if  treated  wisely,  will  care  far  more  for  his  bread  and 
milk  or  Graham  crackers  and  milk  than  for  all  the 
fruit  you  may  offer  him.  I  frequently  find  that  even 
the  dish  of  stewed  fruit  is  not  appreciated  as  much  for 
supper-time  as  for  breakfast,  at  which  time  it  is  often 
eaten  with  great  relish  and  is  usually  the  first  dish  to 
be  called  for.  Since  the  discovery  of  this  fact,  I  have 
often  changed  my  nursery  menus  in  this  direction, 
omitting  the  use  of  any  kind  of  fruit  at  supper-time 
unless  it  is  asked  for,  and  giving  stewed  fruit  for 
breakfast,  reserving  fresh  fruit  for  dinner  menus  in 
summer,  when  little  meat  or  fat  is  taken.  In  this 
way  I  find  it  easier  to  fit  it  in  with  the  different  milk 
dishes,  which  sometimes  cause  trouble  when  used  with 
fresh  fruit,  and  thus  there  is  less  likelihood  of  conse- 
quent disagreement.  At  the  risk  of  being  tedious,  it 
seems  advisable  to  lay  stress  upon  points  like  these, 
even  if  they  do  appear  to  be  self-evident.  Milk  should, 
for  instance,  form  a  large  portion  of  the  breakfast  m.enu, 
and  with  the  use  of  milk  it  is  usually  very  much  better 
for  children  under  five  to  have  stewed  fruit  iinstead  of 
the  average  so-called  ripe  fruit  that  is  sold  so  often  in 
our  markets.  For  this  reason  chiefly  I  prefer  using  at 
breakfast-time  fruits  that  have  been  stewed,  as  less 
likely  to  cause  trouble,  and  fresh  fruit  that  is  really 
ripe  for  dinner,  when  milk  is  usually  omitted  from  the 
menu.     This  rule  is  not  an  inflexible  one,  however, 


SUMMER  DIET.  131 

and  any  mother  who  is  sure  of  the  condition  of  the 
fruit  she  buys — that  it  is  perfectly  fresh,  sound,  and 
ripe,  not  over-  or  under-ripe — may  follow  the  usually 
suggested  plan  of  fresh  fruits  for  breakfast  and  stewed 
fruits  for  supper,  with  puddings,  etc.,  for  desserts  for 
dinner.  I  have,  however,  found  the  other  plan  per- 
fectly practicable,  and  a  great  relief  in  hot  weather. 

A  pleasant  addition  in  summer  to  a  supper  of  bread 
and  milk,  or  to  a  glass  of  milk,  for  a  child  over  a  year 
old,  is  a  tablespoonful  of  Mellin's  Food,  stirred  into 
the  cool  milk,  where  it  will  not  dissolve,  and  will 
please  the  palate,  inasmuch  as  it  tastes  like  molasses 
candy.  It  is  a  valuable  but  somewhat  expensive  sup- 
plementary food  for  growing  children.  I  have  fre- 
quently seen  two  children  of  five  eating  it  dry  with  as 
much  enjoyment  as  I  have  seen  others  show  when  eat- 
ing candy,  and  certainly  it  was  with  less  detriment  to 
themselves  than  if  they  had  been  indulging  in  the  use 
of  what  should  have  small  place  in  nursery  dietaries, 
— i.e.,  candy.  An  ideally  tra'ned  child  of  three  or 
four  should  know  nothing  of  the  existence  of  candy  as 
candy,  but  in  these  days  of  careless  nursery-maids  and 
equally  careless  friends  and  relatives  it  is  difficult  for 
the  most  careful  mother  to  protect  her  little  ones,  and 
it  is  not  unusual  to  see  even  a  two-year-old  child  with 
sticky  face  and  fingers  and  the  inevitable  stick  of 
candy,  the  panacea  for  all  ills.  When  the  abuse  of 
candy  as  a  bribe  in  training  children  is  fully  compre- 
hended by  our  nursery  and  educational  reformers,  they 
will  be  sure  of  one  of  the  causes  of  certain  results 
deplored,  and  know  at  least  one  way  in  which  to  direct 
reform. 


132  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

A  copious  drink  of  water  about  an  hour  after  supper 
is  an  important  feature  in  regulating  a  child's  condition, 
and  it  should  never  be  neglected,  especially  in  summer. 
A  child  four  or  five  years  old  should  drink  at  least 
half  a  pint  of  \Yater  between  five  o'clock  supper  and 
seven  o'clock  bedtime.  The  habit  of  drinking  water 
both  morning  and  evening  can  be  cultivated  with  a 
little  care,  and  it  is  a  habit  of  great  importance  through- 
out life  in  its  result  upon  sluggish  conditions.  That 
this  fact  is  not  fully  appreciated  is  evidenced  by  the 
constant  cry  in  the  nursery  for  laxative  medicines, 
which  are  used  and  advised  far  too  frequently. 

SIMPLE    SUPPER   DISHES    FOR   SUMMER   AND   WINTER 

ALIKE. 

(After  two  and  a  half  years.) 

Milk  toast,  zwieback,  bread  and  milk,  bread  and 
butter  (home-made  bread,  one  day  old),  sugar  rusk, 
Graham  crackers,  Graham  cracker  sandwiches  wath 
good  butter  (nothing  else)  between,  stewed  prunes, 
stewed  apples,  etc.,  if  desired,  with  as  much  sweet  milk 
as  the  child  will  drink  or  use  with  the  above. 


CHAPTEK    X. 

Travelling  Outfits  and  Precautions. 

How  to  keep  children  strong  and  well  under  con- 
flicting circumstances  is  one  of  the  questions  constantly 
met  with,  thought  about,  and  talked  over  by  interested 
mothers.  It  is  comparatively  easy  to  find  out  just  what 
is  the  right  thing  to  do,  but  very  frequently  it  is  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  do  it.  One  mother  without  a  ser- 
vant, for  instance,  might  like  to  sponge  her  child  of 
three  before  putting  it  to  bed  at  seven,  but  this  hap- 
pens to  be  the  time  she  is  obliged  to  devote  to  the  prepa- 
ration of  her  husband's  dinner.  What  is  she  to  do  ? 
Another  mother  knows  her  child  would  be  the  better 
for  a  morning  sponge  before  breakfast,  but  it  is  im- 
possible to  give  it  to  him,  as  she  must  prepare  this  meal 
for  the  remaining  members  of  her  family ;  and  so  on 
ad  infinitum. 

These  are  but  common  illustrations  of  what  is  met 
with  every  day,  in  every  direction,  and  in  these  days 
of  children's  rights  there  is  much  to  be  said  upon  the 
mother's  side.  She  owes  it  to  her  children  as  well  as 
to  herself  to  keep  perfectly  well.  They  will  need  her 
influence  more  and  more  the  older  they  grow ;  there- 
fore, if  circumstances  prove  too  strong  at  times  to 
allow  for  the  ideal  care  of  children  without  the  sacri- 
fice of  the  mother's  health  and  well-being  (mental  wear 

and  tear  being  considered  as  well  as  physical),  by  all 

12  133 


134  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

means  let  the  children  when  in  average  health  take 
their  share  in  the  sacrifices  that  must  be  made.  Deli- 
cate children^  and  those  who  are  ill,  it  is  obvious,  can- 
not be  considered  in  this  connection,  as  everything  must 
be  made  subservient  to  their  needs  for  the  time,  but 
when  children  are  well,  let  them  help  make  the  burden 
lighter ;  for  burden  it  undoubtedly  is  for  many  mothers 
who  are  physically  weak^  and  who  may  have  no  relief 
from  one  year's  end  to  the  other,  or  have  spasmodic 
help  at  best.  A  little  wholesome  neglect  as  to  a  child's 
dress  and  as  strict  adherence  as  is  possible  to  method  in 
sleeping  and  feeding  will  help  to  ease  the  mother's  way, 
and  will  prove  wonderfully  important  factors  in  making 
the  work  less  laborious  when  several  children  are  to  be 
cared  for  by  one  pair  of  hands. 

At  no  time  does  there  seem  to  be  so  much  difficulty 
in  adjusting  circumstances  as  when  travelling,  and  as 
under  the  best  regulations  in  the  nursery  it  is  some- 
times necessary  to  travel  Avith  very  young  children,  it 
may  be  of  interest  to  consider  the  comfort  of  what 
might  be  called  an  emergency  travelling-bag,  so  de- 
signed, with  the  contents  well  considered  as  to  possible 
needs,  that  it  takes  up  very  little  room,  is  not  too  lieavy 
to  handle  constantly,  and,  above  all,  is  the  greatest  pos- 
sible convenience  a  mother  can  have  under  trying  cir- 
cumstances. In  this  bag  it  is  advisable  to  carry  a  few 
simple  home  remedies,  such  as  a  small  box  of  mus- 
tard, a  box  of  mustard  leaves,  soda  mmt  tablets,  a 
bottle  of  white  vaseline  for  chafing,  etc. ;  lanolin  for 
head  and  chest  colds ;  gluten  suppositories  or  a  bottle 
of  fluid  magnesia  (to  be  used  only  when  absolutely 
necessary,  according  to   the  age  of  the  child,  a  tea- 


TRAVELLING   OUTFITS  AND  PRECAUTIONS.      135 

spoonful  of  magnesia  for  an  infant,  or  a  suppository  for 
a  child  of  older  years) ;  chalk  mixture  for  diarrhoea ; 
a  vaporizer  and  beuzoinol  for  catarrhal  colds,  a  hot- 
water  bottle,  and,  above  all,  a  fever  mixture  that  has 
been  tried  and  found  efficacious,  and  is  suited  to  the  age 
of  the  child.  Although  these  articles  are  easily  procured 
at  almost  any  place,  it  is  better  to  carry  them  along, 
as  they  take  up  little  room,  and  when  needed  they  are 
wanted  instantly.  Sudden  indispositions  and  the  first 
symptoms  of  illness  are  what  a  mother  must  prepare 
for  at  all  times,  whether  at  home  or  travelling,  that  she 
may  be  able  to  act  promptly  whilst  waiting  for  the 
arrival  of  the  physician,  who  may  be  beyond  imme- 
diate reach.  For  this  reason  it  is  well  to  pay  special 
attention,  for  a  long  journey,  to  supplementary  foods, 
to  be  taken,  with  a  sufficient  supply  of  prepared  milk, 
in  this  bag  of  comfort. 

The  independence  given  by  a  small  alcohol  lamp 
and  a  pint  aluminum  cup  for  heating  milk  or  water  will 
never  again  be  underestimated  by  any  mother  who  has 
tried  carrying  these  things  with  her  when  travelling 
for  any  distance,  or  w^hen  away  from  home  for  even  a 
day  or  two.  For  a  day's  journey  with,  or  a  day's  ab- 
sence from,  a  bottle-fed  baby,  milk  that  has  been  pre- 
pared for  the  purpose  at  a  milk  laboratory,  such  as  may 
be  found  in  Boston,  New  York,  or  Philadelphia,  should 
be  provided  if  possible ;  but,  if  not  attainable,  it  is 
practicable  and  convenient  to  prepare  in  the  morning 
enough  feedings  of  milk,  using  peptogenic  milk  joowder, 
to  carry  the  child  safely  through  the  entire  day.  For 
a  longer  journey,  when  fresh  milk  can  be  procured 
every  morniag  or  at  short  intervals,  this  process  of  pre- 


136  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

paring  milk  may  be  followed  whenever  necessary  or 
convenient  if  the  milk  powder  and  lamp  be  carried 
along.  This  powder  is  useful  also  in  cases  of  sudden 
attacks  of  indigestion  or  bowel  complaint,  when  pep- 
tonized or  partially  peptonized  milk  should  be  the  only 
food  until  a  physician  is  available.  It  is  also  a  safe 
and  satisfying  food  lor  travelling  convalescents  or  deli- 
cate children.  When  it  is  impossible  to  get  fresh  milk 
to  use  with  the  powder  or  to  get  the  laboratory  milk, 
take  a  sufficient  number  of  bottles  of  prepared  top 
milk, — done  by  the  higher  temperature  of  190°  to  212° 
F.,  that  it  may  remain  sweet  for  the  time  required, — 
allowing  room  in  each  bottle  for  the  addition  of  the 
hot  water  needed,  which  will  warm  it  sufficiently  for 
use.  A  physician  should  direct  as  to  quantity  for  dilu- 
tion. The  water  should  be  heated  over  the  alcohol 
lamp  (boiling  it  to  be  sure  it  is  pure),  and  be  added 
with  the  milk-sugar  and  lime  w^ater  required  at  the 
time  of  feeding.  The  use  of  top  milk  supplies  the 
necessary  cream,  w^hich  is  difficult  to  get  when  travel- 
ling. When  undiluted  milk  is  to  be  given  to  older 
children,  it  is  only  necessary  to  place  the  bottle  very 
carefully  in  the  cup  of  heated  water  until  the  lower 
portion  is  quite  hot ;  then,  on  shaking  the  bottle,  the 
milk  will  be  found  to  be  of  the  required  temperature. 

Another  source  of  difficulty  in  travelling  is  to  keep 
the  nipples  sweet.  The  seamless  nipples  alluded  to 
elsewhere  will  remain  sweet  under  all  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances. They  can  be  washed  as  clean  as  a  glass  or 
a  cup,  for  the  surface  is  very  smooth. 

In  this  manner,  with  very  little  trouble,  a  mother 
may  travel  quite  comfortably  with  a  young  baby.     By 


TRAVELLING  OUTFITS  AND  PRECAUTIONS.      137 

having  and  using  her  own  appliances  she  is  indepen- 
dent of  indifferent  hotel  accommodations  in  the  way 
of  food,  and,  above  all,  she  is  freed  from  the  use  of 
"  refrigerator"  milk.  By  this  I  mean  milk  that  has 
been  standing  all  day,  possibly  uncovered,  in  a  re- 
frigerator that  is  generally  lacking  in  point  of  clean- 
liness, and  which  contains  a  variety  of  foods,  each 
contending  with  the  other  for  prominence  in  the  flavor 
that  is  being  given  to  the  milk.  At  one  time,  in  the 
dining  room  of  a  very  well  known  New  York  hotel,  I 
ordered  some  milk  toast  for  my  boy^s  supper.  When 
it  came  it  gave  evidence  of  milk  having  been  used  that 
was  on  the  point  of  what  is  usually  termed  souring, 
the  curd  having  separated  during  heating.  The  milk 
had,  of  course,  reached  a  condition  that  was  unsafe  for 
a  child's  food  long  before  it  was  used  for  the  purpose  I 
called  for,  yet  I  had  taken  the  precaution  to  interest 
the  waiter  sufficiently  to  see  to  it  personally  that  sweet 
milk  should  be  used.  I  then  ordered  a  glass  of  milk 
to  be  served  scalding  hot.  This  time  the  milk  was 
sweet;  yet  I  was  assured  that  it  was  taken  from  the 
same  supply  for  both  purposes,  which  was  manifestly 
untrue. 

When  children  are  old  enough  to  go  to  hotel  or  res- 
taurant tables,  it  is  advisable  to  have  all  milk  that  is 
served  to  them  brought  upon  the  table  steaming  hot. 
Let  the  little  ones  wait,  even  if  hungry,  until  it  has 
cooled  sufficiently  for  drinking,  and  you  will  have 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  it  is  at  least  a  com- 
paratively safe  food.  Early  in  the  day  it  is  reasonably 
safe  to  depend  upon  the  usual  supply,  if  care  is  taken 
to  have  the  milk  served  hot,  but  later  the  danger  of 

12* 


138  SOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

contamination  is  alvrays  present ;  hence  for  travelling 
children^  who  should  always  be  carefully  fed^  it  is  ad- 
visable to  be  prepared  for  emergencies  by  carrying  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  prepared  milk.  Some  years  ago, 
when  going  to  a  hotel  in  a  vicinity  where  I  was  uncer- 
tain of  the  milk-supply,  I  took  with  me  twenty-seven 
bottles  of  prepared  milk  perfectly  fresh  when  heated. 
These  bottles  were  packed  in  a  tin  bath-tub  and  carried 
safely.  I  was  thus  able  to  take  time  to  find  sweet  milk 
for  our  daily  supply,  and  also  incidentally  to  feed  a  few 
hungry  babies  who  would  otherwise  have  gone  supj^er- 
less  to  bed,  owing  to  the  souring  of  the  hotel  supply 
upon  which  the  mothers  of  these  babies  had  depended. 
Precautions  like  the  above  give  very  little  trouble,  and 
the  comfort  they  bring  in  their  train  is  ample  compen- 
sation for  the  small  amount  of  labor  involved. 

When  travelling,  avoid  the  free  use  of  fresh  fruits 
and  vegetables  for  children  who  have  reached  the  age 
to  take  them  when  at  home.  The  safest  menus,  and 
those  least  likely  to  cause  trouble,  may  be  selected  from 
foods  like  bread  and  milk,  eggs,  cereals,  stewed  fruit, 
and  broiled  chops  or  steak  for  breakfast, — crackers  or 
bread  broken  into  hot  milk  for  supper,  allowing  stewed 
fruit  or  bread,  butter,  and  molasses,  with  milk  to  drink, 
for  older  children,  and  for  dinner  a  chop  or  bit  of  roast 
beef,  a  baked  potato,  if  mealy,  and  well-boiled  rice  or 
macaroni,  with  a  perfectly  ripe  peach,  apple,  or  some 
other  wholesome  fruit  for  dessert.  These  are  usually 
safe  foods,  and  are  easily  procured,  as  a  rule ;  but  if  by 
chance  you  cannot  get  them,  fall  back  on  your  emer- 
gency bag,  which  should  contain  Graham  or  educator 
crackers  and  prepared  milk,  which  will  make  an  all- 


TRAVELLING   OUTFITS  AND  PRECAUTIONS.      139 

sufficient  breakfast  or  supper,  and  a  bottle  of  some  good 
beef  juice  preparation  and  a  small  bottle  of  Zinfandel 
or  Muscatel  grape  juice,  which,  with  bread  and  butter, 
will  help  the  little  ones  along  very  satisfactorily  for 
dinner  until  it  is  time  for  another  trial  of  the  fare 
offered  as  good  by  some  affable  landlord.  Wliilst  not 
being  a  full  menu,  it  is  at  any  rate  infinitely  preferable 
to  giving  the  child  just  what  happens  to  be  procurable, 
whether  it  be  baked  ham  or  fried  egg  plant.  Incredible 
as  it  may  seem,  I  have  heard  of  children  of  three  eat- 
ing these  things.  I  have  also  seen  them  drink  beer, 
and  have  been  looked  upon  in  the  light  of  a  faddist 
for  protesting  where  I  was  not  properly  introduced. 
Adults  may,  and  will,  take  dietetic  risks,  but  it  is  hardly 
safe  to  allow  the  little  ones  this  liberty.  The  chances 
are  that  bitter  regret  will  follow  such  indulgence. 

The  use  of  ice  water,  and  the  eating  of  candy  and 
cake  between  meals,  are  sources  at  all  times  of  much 
mischief,  but  especially  when  travelling.  Why  the 
ordinary  traveller  rushes  immediately  for  the  water 
cooler,  as  I  have  seen  him  do  scores  of  times,  is  beyond 
my  ken.  The  ice-water  habit  is  one  of  our  greatest 
evils  in  a  dietetic  way,  and  with  so  glaring  an  example 
on  the  part  of  adults,  why  should  we  wonder  that  the 
children  want  to  do  likewise  ?  They  must  be  taught 
to  abstain.  Boiled  water  cooled  on  the  ice  and  left 
covered  in  a  convenient  place  wdthin  reach  of  the  little 
ones  will  soon  be  taken  in  preference,  at  home,  with  but 
little  care  upon  the  part  of  the  mother  to  establish  this 
habit.  For  use  on  the  train,  a  bottle  of  properly  diluted 
grape  juice  will  be  very  refreshing,  and  it  will  occa- 
sionally prove  a  valuable  supplementary  food  to   a 


140  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

restricted  dinner  menu,  supplying  the  necessary  salts  so 
frequently  omitted  from  the  ordinary  bill  of  fare. 

A  word  of  caution  about  the  use  of  drinking  glasses 
provided  on  trains,  etc.  They  should  never  be  used,  as 
too  many  evils  follow.  A  small  graduated  glass  should 
be  taken  along,  as  it  occupies  little  room,  and  is  useful 
in  many  ways. 

The  above  suggestions  embody  but  a  few  of  the  many 
ways  in  which  a  mother  may  anticij^ate  her  needs  when 
she  expects  to  be  beyond  immediate  reach  of  the  various 
comforts  and  necessities  that  serve  to  make  a  complete 
nursery.  Every  case  needs  individualization,  but  let  it 
be  remembered  chiefly,  when  travelling,  that  possible 
contingencies  requiring  immediate  action  are  the  things 
to  be  provided  for,  according  to  the  conditions  existing 
for  the  child  or  children  under  consideration. 


CHAPTER    XL 

Fat  in  Food. 

Dr.  Jacobi  very  wisely  remarks  that  to  understand 
only  a  small  part  of  what  is  known  on  the  vast  topic 
of  the  development  of  infant  life  the  mother  must 
consult  not  one  little  volume,  but  many  big  books.  If 
parents  desire  normal  development, — i.e.,  sound  teeth, 
strong  bones,  good  digestion,  firm  flesh,  and  ruddy 
color, — let  them  not  neglect  the  use  of  the  proper  con- 
stituents of  food  during  the  least  resistant  period  of  a 
child's  life,  when  many  ^'  so-called'^  children's  ailments 
develop. 

One  phase  of  this  subject  that  should  be  more  fre- 
quently considered  than  is  usual  is  in  regard  to  the 
use  of  fats  in  food  for  infants  and  growing  children. 
According  to  all  leading  dietists,  fat  plays  a  most  im- 
portant part  in  nutrition.  A  pound  of  fat  gives  nearly 
two  and  a  half  times  as  mach  heat  and  power  as  a 
pound  of  protein  (eggs,  lean  meat,  etc.)  or  of  carbo- 
hydrates (sugar,  starch,  etc.).  This  heat  is  necessary 
for  the  growth  of  the  tissues  in  the  baby's  body,  and 
when  fat  is  mixed  with  proteids  in  the  stomach,  as  in 
the  form  of  cream  with  the  caseine  of  milk,  digestion 
is  made  easier. 

As  a  result  of  experiments  made  in  regard  to  the 

addition  of  fats  to  dietaries,  tissue-waste  is  shown  to 

be  lessened,  and  fat  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  an 

141 


142  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

"  albumen-sparing'^  food.  Bauer  says,  "  If  flesh  alone 
be  given,  large  quantities  are  required  in  order  that 
nutrition  and  waste  may  balance  one  another,  but  if 
fat  be  added,  the  demand  for  flesh  is  less/'  These 
statements  will  suggest  to  the  mother  the  importance 
of  its  use  for  young  children,  to  whom  little  meat  is 
given,  and  who  need  much  heat-giving  food  to  main- 
tain body  temperature  and  provide  a  reserve  of  force- 
producing  material  to  meet  the  demands  made  by  their 
constant  activity  and  rapid  growth. 

If  either  the  various  formulae  given  by  physicians 
for  the  modification  of  milk  for  infants,  or  the  constit- 
uents of  many  proprietary  infant  foods,  are  studied, 
they  will  be  found  to  indicate  almost  invariably  the 
use  of  fat  in  the  form  of  cream.  This  is  usually  in- 
sisted upon  as  an  absolutely  necessary  ingredient,  and 
it  is  done  because  analyses  have  shown  that  mother's 
milk  contains  fat  in  a  certain  proportion  to  other  in- 
gredients, which  is  one  reason  for  the  modification  of 
milk ;  hence  it  will  readily  be  seen  why  infant  foods 
call  for  fat.  Unfortunately,  the  majority  of  proprie- 
tary infant  foods  endeavor  to  reach  a  resemblance  to 
mother's  milk  in  this  particular  only,  of  which  more 
is  said  in  another  connection.  Burnet  speaks  of  the 
fatty  constituents  of  food  as  being  wanted  in  one  type 
of  children, — the  slim  and  thin,  wdth  a  strong  dash  of 
the  nervous  in  their  composition.  In  these  cases  there 
can  be  no  doubt  of  the  value  of  the  use  of  an  easily 
digested  fat. 

The  use  of  cod-liver  oil  is  frequently  suggested  as  a 
convenient  method  of  adding  fat  to  a  child's  dietary. 
It  is  said  to  be  a  food  rather  than  a  medicine,  if  ac- 


FAT  IN  FOOD.  143 

ceptable  to  the  palate,  and  it  is  not  often  that  children 
will  refuse  it.    Many  instances  might  be  given  showing 
how  they  have  learned  to  like  it  sufficiently  to  relish  it. 
In  one  instance  brought  to  my  notice,  a  boy  of  four, 
when  suffering  from  a  head  cold,  would  frequently  sit 
up  in  bed  during  the  night  and  call,  ''My  nose  is 
tight ;  I  want  my  coddy,"  so  great  was  his  reliance 
upon  this  simple  medicine.     When  in  the  form  of  an 
emulsion,  it  may  be  more  pleasant  to  take.     Inasmuch 
as  a  medicine,  however  simple,  is  useful  only  when 
properly  used,  it  is  necessary  to  know  under  what  cir- 
cumstances to  give  it :  hence  in  this  connection,  as  in 
nearly  all  other  particulars  concerning  the  health  of 
children,  a  physician's  advice  is  necessary.     Professoi 
Fonssagrives  indicates  its  use  during  the  most  active 
periods  of  growth  in  children,  when   care   and  pre- 
cautionary measures  must  be  redoubled.     He  says  thaf 
mothers  should  feel  anxious  over  impetuous  develop- 
ment, which  is  never  devoid  of  danger ;  that  the  man- 
ner in  w^hich  a  child's  growth  progresses  is  an  excellent 
measure  of  the  strength  of  his  constitution  and  of  the 
wisdom  of  the  hygiene  to  which  he  is  subjected ;  that 
perfect  harmony   should   be  maintained   between  the 
various  organs  if  possible,  and  even  if  difficult  to  ac- 
complish the  effort  should  be  made.    He  says  expen- 
diture of  force   should   be   moderated  and   resources 
increased  when   rapid  growth  is  noticeable,  muscular 
activity  be  restrained,  and  very  active  kinds  of  exercise 
be  replaced  by  those  more  passive  ;  that  more  than  the 
usual  amount  of  sleep  should  be  taken  ;  that  good  and 
substantial  food  should  be  provided,  aiming  at  nutrition 
and  assimilation  by  giving  plenty  of  air  and  sunshine ; 


144  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN 

and  that  a  sojourn  in  the  country  and  cod -liver  oil 
are  precious  resources  at  such  a  time^  if  possible  to 
be  had.  The  use  of  the  oil  does  not  usually  interfere 
with  a  plentiful  supply  of  milk.  It  is  always  well  to 
allow  short  intervals  in  its  administration^  and  it  is 
advisable  to  give  small  doses  at  first,  as  one  spoonful 
well  digested  is  better  than  four  spoonfuls  not  digested. 
It  should  be  given  either  with  or  about  an  hour  after 
meals.  The  latter  is  the  best  time  theoretical ly,  as 
digestion  has  then  so  far  advanced  that  the  oil  will  not 
be  retained  in  the  stomach,  but  will  be  passed  on  to  be 
digested  with  other  fatty  constituents  of  food.  When 
taking  it,  a  child  should  exercise  and  be  in  the  open 
air  if  jDossible. 

The  use  of  fat,  in  the  form  of  good  cold  butter, 
sweet  cream,  or  good  olive  or  cod-liver  oil,  is  indicated 
in  catarrhal  conditions.  An  easily  digested  fat  moder- 
ately used  during  all  seasons  of  the  year  except  sum- 
mer and  the  warm  days  of  spring  and  fall  produces  a 
resistance  to  colds  in  our  ever-varying  climate,  and 
occasions  no  disturbance  if  given  with  care.  Olive 
oil  may  be  supplied  very  pleasantly  with  salads,  but  it 
should  not  be  used  in  this  combination  before  the  school 
period  of  life, — i.e.,  from  eight  years  to  adolescence. 
Fat  in  the  form  of  cream  in  food  for  infants  is  so  gen- 
erally advised  that  it  need  not  be  considered  in  this 
connection.  Dr.  Rotch  has  suggested  cream  as  a  de- 
sirable fat  for  children  of  all  ages,  and  under  certain 
conditions  as  preferable  to  any  other  fat.  It  is  certainly 
the  most  agreeable  form  in  which  fat  may  be  prescribed 
for  children,  as  is  shown  by  the  readiness  with  which 
it  is  usually  taken.     Care  must  be  had,  however,  to  give 


FAT  IN  FOOD.  145 

that  which  is  perfectly  sweet.  Centrifugal  cream  that 
has  been  separated  from  the  milk  within  a  few  hours  of 
milking  is  undoubtedly  the  most  desirable,  and  it  may 
be  had  at  the  Walker-Gordon  laboratories  in  Boston, 
New  York,  and  Philadelphia.  When  this  is  not  attain- 
able, fresh  milk  should  be  rapidly  cooled  in  ice  or  spring 
water,  then  immersed  in  cold  water  for  several  hours 
in  covered  vessels  or  wide-mouthed  covered  glass  jars, 
from  which  the  cream  may  be  dipped  or  siphoned. 
The  centrifugal  cream  has  the  advantage,  however,  of 
being  freed  by  the  process  from  much  dirt  and  other 
matter  that  is  foreign  and  also  dangerous  to  milk. 
Many  mothers  still  cling  to  the  old-time  notion  of 
cream  being  too  rich  a  food  for  children,  and  of  milk 
being  more  easily  digested  than  cream,  and  it  is  sur- 
prising to  see  how  slowly  they  realize  the  necessity  for 
supplying  this  form  of  fat  in  the  food  of  an  infant  or 
a  growing  child.  A  half-cup  of  sweet  cream  with  the 
cereal  to  be  used  every  morning  in  nursery  feeding 
will  go  far  towards  meeting  the  requirements  of  condi- 
tions calling  for  the  use  of  fat  in  food,  and  it  is  a  mat- 
ter that  should  always  be  kept  in  mind  by  both  physi- 
cian and  mother  in  regulating  dietaries  for  rapidly 
growing  children. 


13 


CHAPTEE    XII. 

Diet  for  the  Approach  of  Cool  Weather. 

The  approach  of  cooler  weather  is  the  herald  for 
the  modifications  in  diet  that  are  necessary  for  keej^ing 
a  child  resistant  to  sudden  variations  of  temperature, 
for  supplying  sufficient  warmth,  and  for  providing 
energy  to  meet  the  activity  induced  by  the  pleasant 
change  from  the  enervating  months  of  summer.  Any 
observant  mother  will  see  at  once  how  quickly  her 
children  have  been  influenced  by  this  change,  how 
much  more  active  they  have  become,  and  how  appetite 
has  improved ;  hence  the  necessity  for  a  fuller  diet. 
Oatmeal  may  now  be  used  for  breakfast,  served  with 
cream ;  this  combination,  containing  fat  and  starch, 
supplies  heat.  A  moderate  amount  of  sugar  is  per- 
missible, and  some  physicians  say  advisable,  in  cool 
weather  if  digestion  is  good,  but  it  must  not  be  given 
to  children  who  are  in  the  habit  of  eating  quantities  of 
candy  between  meals,  as  in  all  probability  they  receive 
far  more  sugar  than  they  can  digest,  and  it  would  be 
ruinous  to  give  them  more.  Dr.  Rotch  says,  ''  The 
infant  should  never  be  given  cake  or  candy,  even  to 
taste.  I  think  that  it  is  necessary  to  state  this  very 
decidedly,  because  it  is  an  erroneous  view  which  is  held 
by  most  mothers  that  it  can  do  no  harm  to  give  occa- 
sionally to  an  infant  in  its  second  year  of  life,  or  to  a 
young  child,  a  little  candy  or  a  little  cake.  This  may 
146 


DIET  FOR  THE  APPROACH  OF  COOL  WEATHER.     147 

be  true  so  far  as  the  immediate  effect  these  articles  may 
have  on  the  digestion  is  concerned,  but  it  is  of  far  more 
importance  that  the  infant  should  not  have  its  taste 
perverted  from  those  articles  of  diet  which  are  best  for 
its  nutrition.  These  new  articles  appeal  more  strongly 
to  its  sense  of  taste,  and  allow  it  to  know  that  there  is 
something  which  tastes  more  agreeable  than  the  food 
which  it  is  accustomed  to  have.  When  an  infant  has 
acquired,  a  taste  for  cake  or  candy,  it  will  cease  to 
enjoy  the  food  by  which  its  development  will  be  best 
perfected.  It  is,  in  fact,  kinder  to  the  infant  never  to 
allow  it  to  taste  cake  or  caudy.  When  these  articles 
are  withheld,  it  will  continue  to  have  a  healthy  appe- 
tite and  taste  for  necessary  and  proper  articles  of 
food."  A  very  satisfactory  way  of  giving  sugar  on 
oatmeal  to  a  child  who  has  already  acquired  the  habit 
is  to  sprinkle  it  lightly  over  each  spoonful,  using  a 
large  salt-shaker.  A  trial  will  show  that  less  than  a 
teaspoonful  will  be  required  for  an  entire  saucer  of 
porridge,  if  care  is  given  to  the  shaking.  The  least 
possible  shake  will  usually  suffice.  This  suggestion  is 
intended  to  help  those  mothers  who  perhaps  may  have 
unwisely  allowed  their  little  ones  to  eat  cereals  bounti- 
fully sprinkled  with  sugar.  So  far  as  possible,  it  is 
safer  to  keep  a  child  from  knowing  anything  about 
eating  it  with  food  of  any  kind,  but  if  the  habit  has 
once  been  formed,  try  regulating  it  in  this  way,  and 
see  if  the  child,  will  not  infinitely  prefer  the  sweet  gritty 
taste  of  the  few  granules  he  gets  by  sprinkling  each 
spoonful  immediately  before  he  eats  it  to  eating  a 
syrupy  concoction  of  porridge,  milk,  and  a  larger 
quantity  that  has  dissolved.     I  have  seen  a  child  of 


148  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

seven  call  for  lump  after  lump  of  sugar  for  a  small  cup 
of  cocoa  simply  because  each  lump  dissolved  before  she 
could  taste  it^  and  she  had  no  idea  whatever  of  what 
sweet  really  meant.  I  have  frequently  seen  this  fact 
clearly  demonstrated.  I  have  also  seen  a  child  eat 
very  contentedly  a  whole  dish  of  oatmeal  and  cream 
minus  salt  or  sugar,  never  missing  the  sugar,  although 
accustomed  to  a  little,  because  he  was  too  intent  upon 
something  else  to  think  of  the  action  required  to  shake 
it  over  eacli  teaspoonful  of  porridge.  By  simply  watch- 
ing children  as  th§y  eat,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  is  not  necessary  to  sweeten  foods  to  any  great 
extent  to  gratify  their  palates,  even  if  they  have  ac- 
quired the  taste.  If  they  must  have  sugar,  let  them 
have  it  just  as  it  comes  from  the  grocer, — a  lump  after 
dinner  for  dessert,  or  on  special  occasions,  as  a  supple- 
ment to  an  unsatisfactory  meal,  it  may  be  sprinkled 
very  lightly  upon  a  piece  of  bread  and  butter.  When 
sugar  is  handled  carefully,  it  may  be  made  a  very  im- 
portant article  of  food,  as  with  good  digestion  it  gives 
heat  and  energy  and  is  easily  assimilated.  Efforts 
should  always  be  made  to  supply  it  largely  in  its  natural 
state,  as  in  fruits,  etc. 

For  chilly  days  cornmeal  mush  may  also  be  used  for 
breakfast.  The  use  of  wheat  and  hominy  need  not  be 
abandoned,  but  oatmeal  and  cornmeal  may  now  be 
used  for  the  variations  needed  in  the  more  liberal  and 
heat-giving  dietary  required  for  cooler  weather.  An 
occasional  baked  potato  is  a  pleasant  addition  to  the 
breakfast  menu  (supplying  starch  and  salts),  or  a  baked 
apple  served  with  top  milk  or  pure  sweet  cream  if 
attainable,  leaving  this  menu  to  be  very  simply  com- 


DIET  FOR  THE  APPROACH  OF  COOL  WEATHER.     149 

pleted  with  bread  and  butter  and  a  dish  of  rice  or 
hominy,  the  starch  element  (carbohydrates)  necessary 
to  make  a  perfect  combination.  The  apple  is  to  be 
peeled  before  baking  (page  115).  Graham  or  corn- 
meal  muffins,  if  thoroughly  baked  and  made  thin  so 
that  they  are  nearly  all  crust,  will  be  enjoyed  on  cool 
mornings,  and  if  made  in  this  way  they  will  be  far 
more  wholesome  than  stale  bread  that  has  been  poorly 
baked.  Too  frequently  the  only  virtue,  so  called,  of 
one-day-old  bread  is  the  fact  that  it  is  stale.  When 
muffins  are  crisp  and  dry  throughout,  they  are  appe- 
tizing and  wholesome.  They  should  not  be  given  to  a 
child  when  hot  enough  to  melt  the  butter  used,  but 
when  they  are  cool  enough  to  put  butter  on  in  small 
pieces  they  will  answer  every  purpose  of  good  bread, 
and  prove  a  pleasant  variation.  It  must  not  be  over- 
looked that  muffins  of  whole  or  Graham  meal  would 
supply  a  fair  proportion  of  the  necessary  constituents 
of  a  well-ordered  menu,  containing  starch  and  pro- 
teids,  also  fat  in  the  butter  used.  Hence  a  very  com- 
plete little  breakfast  may  be  made  of  whole-meal  bread 
and  butter  or  whole-meal  muffins  and  butter,  supple- 
mented with  a  glass  of  milk  and  something  supplying 
sugar  and  salts,  as  stewed  fruit,  for  instance.  Any  one 
who  is  familiar  with  the  action  of  intense  dry  heat 
upon  starch  will  readily  understand  why  the  above  is 
practicable  for  the  nursery.  As  muffins  are  ordinarily 
prepared,  they  are  not  allowable  for  children's  diet. 
Not  enough  attention  is  given  to  making  meals  ap- 
petizing for  children  who  have  reached  an  age  that, 
to  say  the  least,  is  somewhat  discriminating.  A  child 
of  five  is  fully  able  to  enjoy  excellent  cooking.     By 

13^ 


150  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

this  I  mean  simple  articles  well  prepared.  I  have 
known  one  child  who  was  tanght  to  eat  very  simple 
food  which  was  always  prepared  with  great  care.  He 
invariably  showed  lack  of  appetite  and  little  enjoyment 
of  meals  when  away  from  home  unless  his  mother 
directed  the  preparation  of  his  food,  and  his  frequent 
remark  was, ''  Mamma,  I  like  your  cooking  best.'^  Yet 
nothing  was  ever  said  in  his  presence  to  give  rise  to 
comparisons.     This  child  was  not  yet  five  years  old. 

For  dinner  menus  in  cooler  weather  a  more  liberal 
allowance  of  starchy  foods  may  be  used,  such  as  pota- 
toes, rice,  purees  of  peas  and  beans,  Avith  tapioca  and 
corn  starch  for  desserts;  instead  of  the  broths,  meats 
may  be  used  every  day,  and  fish  occasionally  in  summer ; 
puddings  may  now  appear  for  desserts  alternately  with 
fruits,  not  forgetting  that  salts  must  be  supplied  in  these 
menus  by  giving  a  green  vegetable  in  connection  ;  as, 
for  instance,  rare  roast  beef  (proteid),  baked  potato 
(starch  and  salts — carbohydrate),  dish  graw,  pur^e  of 
spinach  (salts),  with  wine  jelly  for  dessert ;  or,  as  a  con- 
trasting menu,  roast  lamb  (proteid),  rice  (starch — served 
with  salt  and  cream  to  supply  fat  lacking  in  rice),  dish 
gravy,  with  some  wholesome  fruit,  fresh  or  stewed,  for 
dessert,  thus  supplying  the  necessary  salts.  Supper 
menus  should  continue  the  same  as  those  indicated  for 
summer  use,  allowing  the  child  to  satisfy  his  appetite  by 
taking  as  much  bread  and  milk  as  he  desires,  or  what- 
ever else  is  given  in  its  place.  It  can  never  be  insisted 
upon  too  much  that  children  should  have  light  suppers, 
and  that  digestion  should  have  its  hardest  work  to  do 
during  the  day,  before  evening  comes.  If  care  is  taken 
in  this  direction,  sleep  will  be  sound  and  rest  will  be 


DIET  FOR  THE  APPROACH  OF  COOL  WEATHER.     151 

refreshing.  There  is  no  more  perfect  food  combination 
for  a  child's  supper  tlian  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk  ; 
in  many  nurseries  this  fact  seems  to  be  entirely  over- 
looked. It  is  easily  prepared,  contains  all  the  ele- 
ments necessary  for  a  perfect  food,  and  deserves  a  prom- 
inent place  in  a  child's  dietary,  provided  the  milk 
be  pure  and  the  bread  wholesome.  If  by  any  un- 
avoidable circumstance  a  child  has  been  deprived  of  a 
sufficient  amount  of  nourishment  during  the  day,  as 
sometimes  happens  when  travelling,  and  a  capricious 
appetite  interferes  with  the  enjoyment  of  the  bowl  of 
bread  and  milk  for  supper,  try  a  raw  egg  beaten  up  very 
light,  with  a  breakfast-cupful  of  milk,  a  little  sugar,  and 
a  pinch  of  cinnamon  added.  This,  Avith  a  piece  of  bread 
and  butter,  will  make  a  full  and  easily  digested  meal, 
and  is  allowable  for  the  evening  meal  under  special 
circumstances. 

This  is  a  fact  to  remember  when  one  is  away  from 
home  with  children,  and  is,  through  disinclination  to 
give  trouble,  subject  to  dietetic  difficulties  that  fre- 
quently seem  insurmountable. 


CHAPTEE    XIII. 
Nursery  Dietaries  and  Menus. 

Milk  J  an  infant's  first  food^  represents  the  four 
classes  of  foods^ — proteids,  carbohydrates^  fats  or  hydro- 
carbons^ and  inorganic  foods,  as  salts  and  water.  Inas- 
much as  each  meal  given  to  a  child  after  weaning  must 
represent  these  different  classes,  it  is  evident  that  the 
simple  principles  underlying  dietetics  must  be  care- 
fully considered  in  the  selection  of  menus.  Simplicity 
must  be  the  rule,  one  food  of  each  class  being  usually 
sufficient  to  constitute  a  satisfactory  meal.  One  of  the 
greatest  difficulties  experienced  is  in  the  provision  of 
sufficiently  varied  menus.  This  must  be  done  that  ap- 
petite may  be  stimulated  to  assist  digestion.  Constant 
repetition  of  any  food  causes  indifference,  no  matter 
how  much  it  may  have  been  enjoyed  at  first. 

Taking  it  for  granted,  therefore,  that  those  in  charge 
of  children  understand  thoroughly  the  principles  of 
dietetics,  there  is  still  a  great  deal  of  study  required  for 
the  selection  of  wholesome  combinations.  The  follow- 
ing illustrative  menus  are  intended  to  give  assistance 
in  this  matter,  either  directly  or  by  suggestion.  They 
may  be  interchanged  to  suit  the  general  house-supply, 
vegetables  being  used  according  to  season,  and  care 
beiug  taken  to  follow  explanatory  notes  as  to  com- 
binations. But  sufficient  variety  is  given  to  obviate 
even  this  labor  in  constructing  a  varied  dietary  for  a 
152 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  153 

child  for  each  season.  A  little  judgment  and  intelligent 
consideration  can,  however,  carry  still  further  the  prin- 
ciples involved,  if  desired,  by  the  study  of  the  given 
proportions  and  combinations  of  the  cereals,  green  and 
starchy  vegetables,  broths,  meats,  fats,  and  fruits,  in 
their  relation  to  the  menus,  and  by  the  regulation  of 
quantities  according  to  the  age  and  condition,  of  the 
child.  It  will  be  noticed  that  quantities  are  men- 
tioned at  times  when  certain  foods  are  to  be  limited 
at  each  meal,  leaving  the  others  to  be  taken  according 
to  the  appetite  of  each  child.  If  a  child  is  accustomed 
to  regular,  simple  meals,  its  appetite  may  be  trusted  to 
regulate  amounts.  If,  on  the  contrary,  it  has  been  fed 
^^  a  little  of  everything,'^  and  has  been  allowed  to  eat 
candy,  etc.,  between  meals,  this  point  must  be  carefully 
considered,  and  an  effort  must  be  made  to  bring  back 
the  child  to  simple  tastes  and  regular  habits,  by  omit- 
ting the  foods  forbidden  for  children  and  by  giving  no 
food  between  meals.  The  amounts  indicated  should 
vary  in  accordance  Avith  the  age,  weight,  and  condition 
of  the  child.  It  is  evident  that  an  active  child  needs 
more  than  one  who  is  passive.  The  safest  rule  to  fol- 
low is  to  give,  so  far  as  possible,  a  single  representa- 
tive of  each  class  of  food  at  each  meal ;  to  give  little 
meat  and  sugar,  and  to  complete  the  quantity  required 
for  each  meal  with  broths,  starchy  vegetables,  and  either 
green  vegetables  or  else  fruits.  When  constructing  a 
menu  for  a  child,  keep  constantly  in  view  the  propor- 
tions required  of  the  various  classes  of  foods. 

All  the  dishes  indicated  in  the  following  menus  may 
be  easily  prepared  by  any  one  understanding  the  prin- 
ciples of  cooking  if  care  be  given  to  the  dainty  prepa- 


154  SOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

ration  of  the  articles  called  for,  and  if  scrupulons  clean- 
liness (one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  nursery 
cooking)  be  observed.  Broths  must  be  well  skimmed 
after  cooling.  If  made  hurriedly,  as  may  happen  occa- 
sionally from  necessity,  and  the  broth  is  made  from 
lean  meat,  it  is  a  very  sunple  matter  to  cool  it  suffi- 
ciently by  placing  it  on  ice  or  in  cold  running  water, 
first  skimming  with  a  spoon,  and  then  using  a  piece 
of  clean  blotting-paper  or  some  large  crumbs  of  bread ; 
the  latter  will  absorb  the  remaining  beads  of  grease 
fairly  well,  and  they  do  not  leave  an  unpleasant  taste, 
as  the  blotting-paper  occasionally  does.  The  use  of  fat 
when  in  the  form  of  cream  or  butter  is  advisable  for  a 
child,  but  it  is  decidedly  not  allowable  when  in  the  form 
of  floating  particles  of  grease  upon  the  top  of  poorly 
made  soup. 

Season  carefully  during  the  process  of  cooking. 
Things  are  tasteless  and  insipid  if  not  seasoned  at  the 
proper  time,  and  a  child's  palate  is  as  sensitive  as  that 
of  the  trained  adult's,  even  more  so  in  some  respects. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  relish  of  food  aids  diges- 
tion. Children's  diet  is  usually  too  one-sided,  contain- 
ing too  much  fat,  starch,  and  sugar,  and  too  little 
protein.  Demme  says  that  starchy  food  taken  in  too 
great  cjuantity  causes  the  white  blood-corpuscles  to  pre- 
dominate over  the  red.  This  may  serve  to  show  to  some 
mothers  why  their  children  are  pale-faced  and  anaemic. 
If  we  want  our  children  to  be  strong,  we  must  use 
animal  food  as  an  important  part  of  their  diet,  in  the 
form  of  milk,  eggs,  and  meat  soup  for  younger  chil- 
dren, and  in  that  of  eggs,  fresh  meats,  etc.,  for  those  who 
are  older.     In  selecting  menus,  macaroni  and  spaghetti 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  155 

should  be  more  relied  upon  for  variety  than  is  usual. 
The  error  of  using  potatoes  every  day,  instead  of  vary- 
ing with  other  starchy  foods,  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon to  be  met  with  in  the  nursery.  The  starch  of  a 
properly  cooked  potato  is  easily  digested,  but  too  great 
reliance  is  usually  placed  upon  its  supplying  a  large 
share  of  the  nutriment  required  in  a  well-balanced 
menu,  whereas  the  fact  of  potatoes  containing  three 
parts  of  water  to  one  part  of  starch  shows  the  fallacy 
of  this  conclusion.  They  are  useful  for  supplying  salts 
in  restricted  dietaries :  for  instance,  if  vegetables  or 
fruits  are  not  obtainable,  they  may  be  depended  upon 
to  supply  some  of  the  salts  necessary  for  a  well-bal- 
anced menu  and  at  the  same  time  provide  starch  and 
prevent  concentration.  The  fact  that  the  starch  of 
potatoes  is  easily  digested  makes  them  a  fit  food  for 
very  young  children ;  therefore,  if  not  abused, — that  is, 
if  not  relied  upon  for  e very-day  use  to  supply  enough 
nourishment  for  a  whole  meal, — they  are  a  valuable 
nursery  food.  It  is  often  supposed  that  a  baked  potato 
makes  a  complete  meal,  when  in  reality  it  is  a  very 
meagre  one  unless  supplemented  by  good  whole-meal 
bread  and  butter  and  a  glass  of  milk,  or  a  chop  if  white 
bread  is  used  instead  of  whole-meal  bread.  Macaroni 
owes  much  of  its  high  nutritive  quality  to  the  gluten  it 
contains,  the  presence  of  which,  in  addition  to  its  other 
constituents,  explains  why  it  may  be  used  as  indicated 
elsewhere  (page  127)  for  one-course  menus,  represent- 
ing as  it  does  every  class  of  food,  being  a  little  deficient 
only  in  fat  as  compared  to  wheat  flour  and  oatmeal. 
This  is  corrected  by  the  use  of  cream,  or  of  butter  and 
milk,  in  cooking  (page  96).     The  usual  custom  is  to 


156  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

boil  it  in  cold  water^  with  the  general  result  of  a  pasty, 
tasteless  mass  that  certainly  requires,  to  make  it  at  all 
palatable,  the  addition  of  the  cheese  and  tomato  sauce 
so  frequently  used.  If  it  is  boiled  tender  in  salted 
boiling  water,  dropping  in  a  small  piece  at  a  time  so 
that  the  water  shall  not  cool,  (page  96),  this  pastiness 
and  tastelessness  will  be  avoided,  and  the  macaroni 
will  have  the  rich,  nutty  flavor  that  gluten  foods  should 
always  possess. 

There  are  numberless  ways  of  varying  nursery  menus 
in  a  perfectly  simple  and  wholesome  manner,  and  there 
is  no  part  of  the  study  of  domestic  science  that  will  more 
amply  repay  the  thoughtful  and  painstaking  mother 
than  that  relating  to  the  pleasure,  comfort,  and  well- 
being  of  her  children. 

Dr.  Thompson\s  General  Rules  for  Feeding  Young 
Children,  given  in  ''  Practical  Dietetics,'^  are  concise 
and  comprehensive,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  : 

1.  Allow  time  for  meals. 

2.  See  that  the  food  is  thoroughly  masticated. 

3.  Do  not  allow  nibbling  between  meals. 

4.  Do  not  tempt  the  child  with  the  sight  of  rich 
and  indigestible  foods. 

5.  Do  not  force  the  child  to  eat  against  its  will,  but 
examine  the  mouth,  which  may  be  sore  from  erupting 
teeth,  and  examine  the  food,  which  may  not  be  properly 
cooked  or  flavored.  If  good  food  is  refiised  from 
peevishness  merely,  remove  it,  and  do  not  offer  it  again 
before  the  next  meal-time. 

6.  In  acute  illness,  reduce  and  dilute  the  food  at  once. 

7.  In  very  hot  weather  give  about  one-fourth  or 
one-third  less  food,  and  offer  more  water. 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  157 

Dr.  Rotch,  of  Boston,  says  the  nutrition  of  young 
human  beings  may  be  divided  into  three  distinct  nu- 
tritive periods,  corresponding  to  the  stages  of  their  de- 
velopment. The  first  period  consists  of  the  first  tea 
or  twelve  months  of  life,  during  which  time  milk  is 
the  food  considered.  The  second  period  comprises 
the  second  and  third  years,  and  the  third  period  the 
remaining  years  of  childhood.  He  says,  "  The  science 
of  feeding  depends  almost  exclusively,  in  addition 
to  the  general  principles  of  which  I  have  already 
spoken,*  on  the  knowledge  of  what  elements  of  the 
food  are  required  by  the  growing  tissues  in  these  nu- 
tritive periods,  and  also  on  the  time  when  the  various 
digestive  functions  are  ready  and  able  to  dispose  of 
them.''  Dr.  Rotch's  remarks  concerning  these  periods 
are  very  readily  understood,  and  they  cover  the  ground 
in  a  concise,  simple,  and  authoritative  manner.  The 
first  period  is  spoken  of  in  another  connection  (page  19). 
He  says  of  the  second  period,  from  the  twelfth  month 
to  the  twenty-eighth  or  thirtieth  month  of  life,  that 
this  is  about  the  second  half  of  the  period  which  we 
are  in  the  habit  of  calling  infancy ;  and  it  also  includes 
the  time  when  the  last  four  teeth  of  the  first  set  appear. 
He  says  further,  ^^  In  this  second  nutritive  period  the 
element  of  variety  in  the  food  becomes  important.  It 
is  undoubtedly  important  that  the  actual  nutritive 
values  of  the  food  which  it  is  best  to  give  to  infants 
in  this  period  be  considered,  but  it  is  much  more  im- 
portant that  special  attention  be  paid  to  its  variety. 
Foods  should  be  given  which,  while  containing  a  fair 


*  Pediatrics,  Lippincotts. 
14 


158  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

percentage  of  nutritive  elements,  yet  differ  in  the  com- 
bination of  these  elements  to  such  a  degree  that  they 
fulfil  the  requirements  of  this  period  of  life.  It  is 
best  to  increase  gradually  the  variety  of  articles  of 
diet  from  the  twelfth  to  the  twentieth  month,  always 
adapting  the  food  to  the  especial  infant.  Thus  some 
infants  may  be  able  to  digest  and  assimilate  propor- 
tionately large  quantities  of  starch ;  otliers  may  both 
need  and  digest  larger  proportions  of  the  proteids  or 
of  sugar  than  the  infants  first  spoken  of. 

^^  Between  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  months  I  am 
in  the  habit  of  giving  the  infant  five  meals  during  the 
day.  At  this  time  it  is  well  to  accustom  it  to  ta;ke  its 
food  from  a  spoon,  and  as  soon  as  possible  to  omit 
feeding  from  the  bottle.  The  five  meals  should  be 
arranged  in  the  following  manner  : 

"  For  breakfast,  bread  and  cow's  milk,  slightly 
warmed. 

"  For  lunch,  equal  parts  of  oat  jelly  and  cow's  milk, 
warmed,  with  a  little  salt  added  according  to  the  in- 
fant's taste. 

"  This  meal  of  oat  jelly  should  be  repeated  in  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon. 

^^In  the  middle  of  the  day,  broth  of  some  kind, 
either  chicken  or  mutton,  carefully  prepared  so  as  to  be 
free  from  fat  on  its  surface,  can  be  given  with  some 
bread. 

"  The  fifth  meal  should  be  given  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  afternoon,  and  should  consist  of  bread  and 
milk. 

"  In  some  cases  it  is  impossible  to  make  infants 
swallow  bread  for  a  long  period  after  the  usual  time 


NURSERF  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  159 

of  twelve  to  thirteen  montlas.  At  times  it  is  not  until 
they  are  two  and  one-half  to  three  years  old  that  they 
can  be  induced  to  take  bread.  In  these  cases  we  must 
feed  them  according  to  our  judgment  of  the  individual 
case. 

"  When  the  infant  is  fourteen  to  fifteen  months  old, 
some  thoroughly  boiled  rice  can  be  added  to  the  broth 
in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  if  it  digests  this  well  it 
can  also  have  bread  given  with  this  meal. 

"  When  the  infant  is  sixteen  months  old,  it  can  have 
a  small  amount  of  butter  on  its  bread.  When  it  is 
seventeen  to  eighteen  months  old,  it  can  have  a  thor- 
oughly baked  white  potato,  mixed  with  butter  and 
salt,  added  to  its  mid-day  meal  of  broth.  When  it  is 
nineteen  to  twenty  months  old,  eggs  can  become  part 
of  its  diet. 

"  There  are  not  many  fruits  which  should  be  given 
to  the  infant  in  its  second  year.  A  baked  apple 
can  be  given  at  the  evening  meal  when  the  infant  is 
fourteen  to  fifteen  months  old ;  or,  for  variety,  the 
apple  can  be  made  into  a  simple  sauce,  never,  however, 
having  the  sauce  made  with  much  sugar.  When 
peaches  are  in  season,  a  ripe  peach  can  often  be  given 
with  benefit,  especially  if  the  infant  is  inclined  to  be 
constipated.  Other  fruits  should  be  avoided,  as  they 
are  not  necessary  for  the  infant's  nutrition,  and  at 
times  produce  serious  trouble. 

"  The  third  nutritive  period  I  have  arbitrarily  made 
to  begin  at  about  the  thirtieth  month  of  life. 

"  At  this  time  it  will  be  well  to  begin  to  accustom 
the  child's  digestive  functions  to  a  still  greater  variety 
of  food.     In  summer,  the  more  easily  digestible  vege- 


160  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

tables,  such  as  squash,  young  peas,  and  young  beans,  can 
be  given.  The  variety  of  fruits  can  also  be  increased  at 
this  period,  but  they  should  be  cooked.  The  principal 
change  which  is  to  be  made  in  the  diet  to  which  the  infant 
has  been  accustomed  is  a  very  decided  increase  in  the 
proportion  of  the  proteid  element  of  its  food.  This  is 
accomplished  by  means  of  giving  the  child  meat.  The 
quantity  of  meat  which  should  be  given  towards  the 
end  of  the  third  year  should  be  small  at  first,  and 
should  be  given  at  intervals  of  a  day  or  two.  Meat 
as  a  regular  article  of  diet  for  each  day  is  not,  as  a 
rule,  required  until  the  child  is  between  three  and  four 
years  old.  The  kinds  of  meat  Avhich  should  be  given 
m  this  early  period  of  childhood  are  chicken,  mutton- 
chop,  roast  beef,  and  beefsteak.  These  meats  should 
be  cut  into  small  pieces,  and  a  little  salt  added  accord- 
ing to  the  child's  taste.  It  is  well,  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  third  year  and  the  first  half  of  the  fourth 
year,  to  give  the  child  an  egg  on  one  day  and  meat  on 
the  next. 

"  When  the  child  has  reached  the  age  of  five  or  six 
years,  we  should  allow  it  to  have  a  somewhat  more 
varied  diet,  but  during  the  whole  jieriod  of  childhood 
up  to  the  age  of  puberty  the  closest  attention  should 
be  given  to  the  regulation  of  the  kind  and  the  amount 
of  food  to  be  given  to  the  child,  and  any  deviations 
from  the  rules  which  I  have  just  laid  down  are  to  be 
deprecated.'' 

It  should  be  particularly  noted  that  meat  is  not 
given  until  after  the  second  period, — i.e.,  after  thirty 
months, — and  eggs  are  withheld  until  the  child  is  nine- 
teen or  twenty  months  old. 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  161 

The  following  menus  are  constructed  upon  this  base, 
suggested  by  Dr.  Rotch,  and  explanatory  notes  are 
introduced  where  it  seems  advisable.  The  hours  for 
the  five  meals  from  twelve  months  may  be  arranged, 
as  most  convenient  for  the  average  household,  as 
follows : 

TWELVE  TO  THIETEEN   MONTHS. 

7  A.M.  Early  breakfast — a  breakfast-cupful  or  a 
six-ounce  bottle  of  warm  milk  ;  a  piece  of  bread  or  a 
cracker. 

9.30  A.M.  Breakfast  proper — two  tablespoonfuls  of 
oat  jelly  with  the  same  quantity  of  milk,  seasoned  with 
a  little  salt. 

12.30  P.M.  Dinner — a  cup  of  chicken  broth  with 
stale  bread  crumbs ;  one  tablespoonful  of  gelatin, 
flavored  with  orange  juice  (page  216). 

3.30  P.M.     Repeat  meal  given  at  9.30. 

6.30  P.M.  Supper — one-day-old  bread  broken  in 
warm  milk  (six  ounces). 

Supper  at  half-past  six  gives  time  for  the  child  to 
have  a  few  minutes'  rest  before  going  to  sleep  at  seven. 
The  child  should  be  dressed  for  the  night  before  re- 
ceiving this  meal,  that  unnecessary  handling  upon  a 
full  stomach  may  be  avoided.  Half-past  six  is  the 
time  frequently  advised  for  the  first  meal  in  the  morn- 
ing, but,  by  judicious  training  as  to  sleep,  seven  o'clock 
will  be  found  early  enough,  and  if  the  habit  of  sleep 
is  once  fixed  a  child  will  not  wake  before  this  time, 
thus  giving  many  mothers  without  nurses  the  oppor- 
tunity for  sparing  their  strength  a  little  in  the  early 

morning.     It  is  also  of  great  assistance  under  some 
I  14* 


162  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN, 

circumstances  to  give  the  first  meal  froro  the  bottle 
for  a  longer  period  than  twelve  months,  as  at  this 
early  hour  much  carelessness  may  be  expected  from 
ordinary  servants  in  the  handling  of  baby^s  food,  and 
unless  there  is  a  reliable  nurse  the  mother  must  usually 
rise  very  much  earlier  than  is  necessary  for  other  de- 
mands. The  plan  of  having  a  bottle  ready  for  warm- 
ing at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  will  obviate  many 
sources  of  trouble  that  are  frequently  met  with,  and, 
while  not  the  ideal  plan,  it  is  practically  much  better 
than  to  allow  servants  an  opportunity  for  careless 
handling  of  baby's  first  meal  for  the  day,  which  may 
readily  change  the  tenor  of  that  entire  day's  atmos- 
phere. Breakfast  at  9.30  for  baby  gives  the  mother 
time  to  take  her  own  comfortably,  to  bathe  her  child 
at  nine,  and  feed  it  at  half-past,  after  which  it  should 
sleep  an  hour  or  more,  and  then  be  taken  out  for  a 
while  before  dinner  at  12.30.  It  may  be  taken  out 
for  an  hour  again  after  dinner,  from  which  time  it  will 
be  likely  to  sleep  until  its  next  meal  at  half-past  three. 
From  this  time  it  should  be  kept  awake  until  it  is 
ready  to  be  put  to  sleep  for  the  night  at  seven,  after 
being  undressed  and  fed  at  half-past  six.  Dr.  Samuel 
Adams,  of  Washington,  says,  ^^A  young  infant  has 
nothing  to  do  but  eat  and  sleep.  As  soon  as  he  is  fed 
he  will  take  a  nap,  and  will  probably  sleep  for  an  hour 
and  a  half.  After  the  first  year  the  naps  become 
shorter  and  less  frequent.  During  the  second  year  a 
nap  in  the  morning  after  breakfast,  and  one  in  the  after- 
noon about  one  or  two  o'clock  for  an  hour  or  an  hour 
and  a  half,  are  usually  sufficient,  and  these  naps  should 
be  insisted  upon  for  the  rest  of  his  mind  and  body 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  163 

and  to  enhance  his  growth  and  health.  As  the  child 
attains  the  third  year  he  can  usnally  drop  the  morning 
nap.  The  afternoon  one  should  be  insisted  upon  very- 
soon  after  the  child  has  his  noonday  meal,  in  winter  as 
well  as  in  summer.''  Some  physicians  advise  a  night 
feeding  at  ten  or  eleven,  to  be  given  until  eighteen 
months.  If  so,  the  food  may  be  given  from  a  bottle 
without  disturbing  the  child's  sleep  by  keeping  to  the  ■ 
same  hour  exactly  and  gently  touching  the  lips  of  the 
child  with  the  tip,  lifting  the  pillow  carefully  at  the 
same  time.  A  child  who  is  well  is  usually  so  sleepy 
that  it  will  take  the  milk  very  readily  without  opening 
its  eyes.  At  this  time  any  necessary  changes  for  the 
night  may  also  be  made,  to  avoid  further  chance  of 
disturbance.  Regularity  in  this  method  is  certain  to 
bring  eventual  success.  If,  during  this  early  period 
of  feeding,  great  care  is  given  to  the  little  points  that 
appear  to  many  to  be  trifling  at  the  time,  a  fixed  habit 
of  sound  sleep  from  seven  to  seven  may  be  formed, 
that  will  prove  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  conferred 
upon  a  child  by  a  wise  mother. 


ALTERNATING    MENU   FOR   THE    SAME    PERIOD, — I.e., 
TWELVE   TO   THIRTEEN   MONTHS. 

7  A.M.  Six-ounce  bottle  of  warm  milk,  with  a 
piece  of  crust  from  French  bread  or  a  cracker. 

9.30  A.M.  One  small  cup  of  fresh  sweet  milk 
(heated  to  167°  F.).  Two  tablespoonfuls  of  well- 
cooked  oatmeal  gruel  served  with  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  fresh  cream,  also  heated. 

12.30  P.M.     One-half  pint  of  mutton   broth  with 


164  ITOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

stale  bread  crumbs.  Two  tablespoonfuls  of  junket, 
made  with  Fairchild's  essence  of  pepsin. 

3.30  P.M.  A  breakfast-cupful  or  an  eight-ounce 
bottle  of  milk  and  gelatin.  Dissolve  a  teaspoonful 
of  gelatin  in  a  little  of  the  cold  milk,  and  add  to  the 
remainder  when  it  is  warm,  taking  care  to  keep  the 
mixture  well  covered  when  dissolving. 

6.30  P.M.  A  breakfast  cupful  of  warm  milk  and 
a  piece  of  bread  or  a  cracker,  or,  if  the  bottle  is  still 
used,  a  six-ounce  bottle  of  warm  milk,  with  bread  or 
cracker. 

FOURTEEX   TO   FIFTEEN   MONTHS. 

7  A.M.  One  slice  of  bread  and  eight  ounces  of 
milk,  given  in  cup  or  bottle. 

9.30  A.M.  One  cup  of  barley  jellj  and  milk,  half 
and  half,  salted. 

12.30  P.M.  One  slice  of  bread,  one-half  pint  of 
chicken  broth,  with  a  tablespoon ful  of  well-boiled  rice 
added. 

3.30  P.M.     Repeat  meal  given  at  9.30. 

6.30  P.M.  Eight  ounces  of  warm  milk  and  a 
Graham  cracker. 

ALTERNATING    MENU    FOR    THE    SAME    PERIOD, i.e., 

FOURTEEN   TO   FIFTEEN   MONTHS. 

7  A.M.     Bread  and  milk  (eight  ounces). 

9.30  A.M.  One  tablespoonful  of  gluten  porridge 
served  with  top  milk. 

12.30  P.M.  One  cup  of  chicken  jelly  made  with 
milk.     A  piece  of  crust  of  bread. 

3.30  P.M.  One  cup  of  oat  jelly  and  top  milk,  half 
and  half,  as  directed  before. 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  165 

6.30  P.M.  Six  ounces  of  milk,  the  soft  part  of  a 
baked  apple,  a  cracker,  or  a  piece  of  zwieback. 

At  sixteen  months  add  a  little  good  butter  to  the 
bread  given.     (Rotch.) 

SEVENTEEN   TO   EIGHTEEN    MONTHS. 

7  A.M.  One  piece  of  bread  and  butter  and  a  cup 
of  milk. 

9.30  A.M.  One  cup  of  oat  jelly  and  top  milk,  half 
and  half. 

12.30  P.M.  One  cup  of  chicken  broth,  bread  and 
butter,  and  a  baked  potato  mixed  with  a  little  but- 
ter and  salt.  A  tablespoonful  of  juice  from  a  sw^eet 
orange. 

3.30  P.M.  One  piece  of  zwieback  and  a  cup  of 
sweet  milk. 

6.30  P.M.  Eight  ounces  of  milk  and  bread  and 
butter. 

ALTERNATING  MENU  FROM  SEVENTEEN  TO  EIGHTEEN 

MONTHS. 

7  A.M.  Graham  bread  and  butter  and  a  cup  of 
warm  milk. 

9.30  A.M.  One  tablespoonful  of  well-cooked  wheatena 
served  with  a  few  tablespoonfuls  of  sweet  cream,  taken 
from  morning's  milk  and  heated  to  167°  F.  One  piece 
of  bread  cru^t  or  zwieback. 

12.30  P.M.  One-half  pint  of  mutton  broth,  two 
tablespoonfuls  of  boiled  rice.     Bread  and  butter. 

3.30  P.M.     One  cup  of  milk  jelly  and  a  cracker. 

6.30  P.M.  Two  Graham  crackers,  or  bread,  if  pre- 
ferred, broken  into  eight  ounces  of  warm  milk. 


166  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

NINETEEN    TO   TWENTY   MONTHS. 

7  A.M.     A  cup  of  milk  and  bread  and  butter. 

9.30  A.M.  Two  tablespoonfuls  of  wheat  porridge 
with  cream,  a  small  glass  of  milk,  bread  and  butter, 
one  tablesjDoonful  of  clarified  apple  (page  217). 

12.30  P.M.  A  milky,  soft-boiled  egg  (page  81) 
with  stale  bread  crumbs,  bread  and  butter,  one  table- 
spoonful  of  boiled  rice,  one  or  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
fruit  gelatin  (page  117). 

3.30  P.M.     A  saucer  of  junket,  bread  and  butter. 

6.30  P.M.  Two  pieces  of  toasted  bread  broken  into 
four  ounces  of  hot  salted  milk ;  a  glass  of  milk  to 
drink. 

ALTERNATING    MENU    FROM    NINETEEN    TO    TWENTY 

MONTHS. 

7  A.M.     Bread,  butter,  and  milk. 

9.30  A.M.  Two  tablespoonfuls  of  breakfast  hominy 
with  salt  and  cream,  a  glass  of  milk,  bread  and  butter. 
A  pared  ripe  peach,  if  in  season,  or  a  tablespoonful  of 
scraped  ripe  apple. 

12.30  P.M.  One  cup  of  beef  broth,  with  crumbs  of 
zwieback  broken  in  it,  a  baked  potato,  two  tablespoon- 
fuls of  tapioca  (page  126). 

3.30  P.M.  A  saucer  of  oatmeal  jelly  (page  209) 
with  a  little  salt  and  cream. 

6.30  P.M.     Bread  and  milk. 

From  twenty  to  thirty  months  use  the  foods  indi- 
cated so  far,  varying  the  menus  by  interchanging  with 
any  similar  articles,  the  recipes  for  which  are  given 
elsewhere.     "After   the   fifteenth   month   two   to   six 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  167 

teaspoonfiils  of  orange  juice  may  be  given^  and  a  little 
later  the  soft  pulp  of  two  or  three  stewed  prunes,  or  a 
baked  or  stewed  apple."     (Holt.) 

As  Dr.  Rotch  says,  this  is  a  sufficient  diet  for  this 
period,  and  it  is  worse  than  folly  for  mothers  to  attempt 
at  this  early  age,  as  is  frequently  done,  to  accustom 
their  children  to  the  use  of  everything  and  anything 
from  the  general  table.  There  are  many  persons,  again, 
who  will  follow  a  cautious  course  in  nursery  feeding 
to  a  certain  point,  and  then  undo  all  by  a  fitful  lapse 
into  carelessness.  The  remarks  made  in  this  connec- 
tion should  be  emphasized  if  the  infant's  digestion  and 
general  nutrition  are  to  be  consid^ed,  and  the  parents 
should  insist  that  no  other  articles  of  food  be  employed 
except  such  as  are  similar  to  those  spoken  of, — namely, 
the  cereals  in  a  variety  of  forms,  according  to  the  taste, 
judgment,  and  knowledge  of  cooking  which  exists  in 
the  special  household. 

DINNER  MENUS  ALLOWABLE  AFTER  THIRTY  MONTHS. 

Beef  broth  with  vermicelli ;  bran  or  whole-meal 
bread,  and  the  best  butter  obtainable ;  lightly  broiled 
lamb-chop,  minced  and  seasoned  with  salt ;  spinach 
boiled  tender  and  mashed  through  a  pur^e  sieve,  served 
plain  with  cream  or  in  broth ;  baked  potato  with  salt ; 
orange  tapioca  for  dessert,  and  a  fruit  juice  made  as 
directed  (page  100),  and  used  as  a  drink. 

1 .  Chicken  broth  with  rice ;  minced  broiled  tender- 
loin steak  with  salt  (no  butter) ;  spaghetti  plain ;  brown 
bread  with  butter;  asparagus  tips  or  stewed  celery, 
with  hot  cream  as  sauce ;  cup  custard  for  dessert. 

2.  Mutton  broth ;    the  white  meat  of  chicken  cut 


168  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

into  very  small  pieces ;  macaroni  in  milk ;  cauli- 
flower or  spinach ;  bread  and  butter ;  orange  float  for 
dessert. 

3.  Beef  tea ;  stewed  squab  ;  boiled  or  steamed  rice  ; 
bread  and  butter;  puree  of  Bermuda  onions,  stewed 
very  soft  in  milk ;  junket  with  egg  for  dessert. 

4.  Milk  soup ;  roast  beef  rare  and  minced ;  boiled 
spaghetti  with  dish  gravy  from  roast  beef;  spinach  or 
stewed  celery ;  bread  and  butter ;  rice  pudding  for 
dessert. 

5.  Strained  vegetable  soup  ;  minced  broiled  mutton- 
chop,  rejecting  all  fat ;  baked  potato ;  apple  sauce ; 
bread  and  butter;  junket,  made  with  Fairchild^s  es- 
sence of  pepsin,  for  dessert. 

6.  Beef  broth ;  boiled  or  broiled  fish  ;  boiled  maca- 
roni with  milk  ;  boiled  asparagus  tips ;  gelatin  with 
whipped  cream  for  dessert. 

A  week's  diet  foe  a  child  of  five  yeaes. 

With  but  few  exceptions  (tomatoes,  bacon,  figs,  and 
dates)  the  following  articles  mentioned  may  be  used 
for  children  from  two  and  a  half  years  up,  but  the 
amounts  given  will  be  found  to  be  more  than  is  re- 
quired for  that  age,  as  they  are  sufficient  for  a  hungry 
child  of  five. 

Sunday. 

Breakfast — One  ripe  apple,  pared,  quartered,  and 
carefully  cored.  Two  or  three  tablespoonfuls  of  well- 
cooked  and  well-selected  oatmeal,  with  half  a  cup  of 
sweet  cream  and  a  pinch  of  salt.  A  glass  of  warm 
milk.     Bread  and  good  butter.     A  soft-boiled  egg. 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  169 

Dinner. — From  twelve  to  one  o'clock.  Half  a  cup 
of  beef  broth.  Bread  and  butter.  One  lamb-chop, 
lightly  broiled,  and  cut  in  small  pieces,  or  a  piece  of 
roast  beef  or  mutton,  with  dish  gravy.  One  quickly 
baked  potato,  broken  with  a  fork,  eaten  with  salt. 
Two  tablespoonfuls  of  boiled  spinach,  mashed  through 
a  puree  sieve.  A  few  dates  and  a  lady- finger  for 
dessert. 

Supper. — Five  to  five-thirty  o'clock.  Milk  toast; 
one-half  pint  of  hot  milk  seasoned  with  salt  and  butter 
for  three  or  four  pieces  of  toast.  A  few  stewed  figs. 
Bread  and  butter  if  wanted. 

Monday, 

Breakfast. — Breakfast  hominy  and  cream.  Bread 
and  butter.  A  sweet  orange.  A  cup  of  cocoa  made 
with  nibs.     A  bit  of  fish. 

Dinner. — One-half  cup  of  mutton  broth.  Broiled, 
finely  chopped  steak,  one  large  spoonful,  or  one  lamb- 
chop,  lightly  broiled.  Boiled  rice,  as  much  as  wanted. 
Stewed  celery  with  cream  sauce.  Gelatin,  flavored 
w^ith  chocolate  or  vanilla,  for  dessert. 

Supper. — Sal  tine  crackers,  broken  in  hot  milk. 
Bread  and  butter.     Stewed  prunes. 

Tuesday. 

Breakfast. — Two  tablespoonfuls  of  cracked  wheat 
and  cream.  One  poached  egg,  lightly  done.  Brown 
bread  and  butter.     A  few  dates  or  an  apple. 

Dinner. — Half  a  cup  of  beef  broth,  made  from  the 
chopped  steak  and  celery  bits  of  the  day  before.  A 
slice  of  roast  beef  with  dish  gravy.     Macaroni,  boiled 

16 


170  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN 

in  salted  water^  cream  to  be  added  for  sauce.  If  meat 
is  not  available^  more  macaroni  may  be  used,  as  it  sup- 
plies the  place  of  meat  and  cereals.  Two  tablespoon- 
fuls  of  stewed  tomatoes,  stewed  long  enough  to  be  put 
through  an  agate  or  porcelain  colander.  Orange  float 
for  dessert  (soft  cup  custard  poured  over  oranges  that 
have  been  carefully  freed  from  pith). 

Sujjjjer. — Bread,  butter,  milk  to  drink,  and  stewed 
apples,  flavored  with  cinnamon  or  orange. 

Wednesday. 

Breakfast. — A  sweet  orange  first.  Oatmeal  and 
cream.  Dry  toast,  with  cold,  not  melted,  butter.  A 
little  stewed  potato.  A  glass  of  milk.  A  bit  of 
broiled  fish. 

Dinner. — Half  a  cup  of  chicken  soup.  One  broiled 
lamb-chop.  Bread  and  butter.  Stewed  onions  with 
cream  sauce.  One  baked  sweet  potato.  (Onions  have 
no  sugar,  hence  sweet  potato.)  Plain  or  apple  tapioca 
pudding.  As  sweet  potato  has  not  so  much  starch  as 
white,  tapioca  (starch)  may  be  used  for  dessert. 

Supper. — Sweet  buns  or  plain  rolls,  broken  up  in 
hot  milk,  with  a  light  sprinkling  of  sugar  or  salt  ac- 
cording to  which  food  is  used.  A  dish  of  stewed 
prunes,  or  a  glass  of  prune  juice.  A  slice  of  Graham 
bread  and  butter. 

Thursday. 

BreaJcfast — Two  tablespoonfuls  of  hominy  with 
cream  (half  a  cup).  One  scrambled  egg,  with  bread 
and  butter.     One  apple.     Cup  of  cocoa. 

Dinner. — One  cup  of  beef  broth.    Bread  and  butter. 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  171 

Spaghetti  and  milk  in  place  of  meat  and  cereal,  a  sup- 
plementary dessert  being  given,  as,  for  instance,  rice 
pudding.  Stewed  celery.  Small  saucer  of  rice  pud- 
ding. 

Supper. — Bread,  butter,  and  good  molasses  or  syrup, 
carefully  selected,  with  as  much  milk  as  is  wanted. 

Friday. 

Breakfast. — An  orange.  A  saucer  of  boiled  rice, 
with  cream  and  salt.  Bread  and  butter.  A  bit  of 
crisp,  fat  breakfast  bacon.  Bacon  supplies  lack  of  fat 
in  rice.     Stewed  potatoes. 

Dinner. — One  cup  of  beef  broth  seasoned  with  celery 
broth  of  the  day  before.  Well  broiled,  boiled,  or 
baked  fish  having  white  meat.  Baked  white  potato. 
One  tablespoonful  of  stewed  cauliflower  with  cream  as 
sauce.  Cup  custard  made  with  one  egg  and  flavored 
with  cinnamon. 

Supper. — Zwieback,  stewed  figs,  bread,  butter,  and 
as  much  milk  as  is  wanted. 

Saturday. 

Breakfast. — Cracked  wheat  and  cream.  Cup  of 
cocoa.  Soft-boiled  egg,  lightly  boiled.  Bread  and 
butter  and  a  few  figs  or  dates,  or,  for  a  younger  child, 
an  orange. 

Dinner. — Half  a  cup  of  mutton  broth  with  rice 
added  (one  tablespoonful).  A  tablespoonful  of  the 
white  meat  of  chicken  or  a  tender  wing.  Small  saucer 
of  apple  sauce.  Macaroni.  Bread  and  butter.  A 
coffee  cup  of  junket  and  one  or  two  lady-fingers,  or  a 
sweet  bun  one  day  old,  for  dessert. 


172  HOW  TO  FEED    CHILDREN. 

Supper. — Bread,  butter,  and  lionev,  railk,  and  a 
small  jDiece  of  one-day-old  Moravian  cake,  made  ac- 
cording to  recipe  given  on  page  65. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  BEEAKFAST  IX  SUMMER  FOR  CHIL- 
DREX  FROM  THREE  TO  FFV^E. 

One  only  of  the  following  articles,  with  cream  and 
salt:  Cracked  wheat,  rice,  tapioca,  breakfast  hominy, 
gluten  (containing  little  or  no  fat). 

One  only  of  the  following  articles :  Eggs  boiled 
(covered  with  boiling  water  as  directed,  page  81) ; 
l^oached  in  salted  water  that  does  not  boil ;  scrambled 
(lightly);  omelet  (eggs  not  to  be  separated  for  beating). 
For  omelet  use  one  tablesjDOonful  of  hot  water  to  one 
Qgg  instead  of  milk,  as  customary,  beat  about  a  dozen 
times  with  a  fork,  and  cook  quickly  :  the  result  will 
be  a  deliciously  tender  omelet.  Broiled  fish.  Broiled 
bacon.  Asparagus  tops  may  be  given  frequently  with 
any  of  the  above  articles. 

One  only  of  the  following  articles  :  Stewed  rhubarb 
(laxative),  orange  or  lemon  jelly  (made  with  gelatin), 
strawberries  (carefully  given,  noting  effect),  baked 
apple,  gelatin  pudding  or  calf's-foot  jelly,  etc. 

SUMMER   DINNER   MENUS    FROM   THREE   TO   FIVE 

YEARS. 

1.  Beef  broth.  Broiled  fish.  Baked  potato.  Spin- 
ach pur^.  A  ripe,  sweet  orange  for  dessert.  Bread 
and  butter. 

2.  Vegetable  omelet  made  with  chopped  asparagus 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  173 

tips  that  have  been  previously  boiled  tender ;  or,  if 
preferred,  a  plain  omelet  and  the  asparagus  served 
alone,  with  or  without  cream  sauce.  A  small  cup  of 
a  good  digestible  cocoa  with  educator  crackers  for 
dessert. 

3.  Chop  (lamb)  broiled.  Boiled  rice,  served  with 
cream  and  salt.  Bread,  butter,  and  honey.  Glass  of 
milk  if  desired.  In  place  of  honey,  fruit  juice  may 
be  used. 

4.  Mutton  broth  with  barley.  Boiled  egg.  Aspara- 
gus tips  with  salt,  or  stewed  onion  with  cream  sauce. 
A  cup  of  jimket  or  a  cup  custard.  Bread  and 
butter. 

5.  Broiled  beef  pulp.  Spaghetti  with  cream  sauce, 
the  sauce  to  be  made  as  directed  in  a  former  article,  with 
good  butter,  cream  or  milk,  and  flour.  Fom'  or  five 
large  prunes,  stewed  or  simply  freshened  by  soaking 
overnight  in  cold  water,  after  washing  well,  may  be 
given  for  dessert.  Children  who  will  not  eat  stewed 
prunes,  or  who  have  grown  tired  of  them,  will  wel- 
come the  above  change. 

6.  Puree  of  onion  with  beef  broth,  served  either 
together  or  alone.  Farina,  cooked  with  salt  and 
served  with  cream.  Strawberry  gelatin  for  dessert, 
using  the  clear  juice  only  for  flavoring.  Bread  and 
butter. 

7.  Poached  egg  served  on  well-made  toast.  Cauli- 
flower tops,  if  tender,  or  a  dish  of  apple  sauce.  A 
saucer  of  rice  pudding  flavored  with  cinnamon.  The 
use  of  cauliflower  and  onion  should  be  deferred  to  the 
latter  part  of  this  period  of  feeding,  and  results  should 
be  watched  very  carefully. 

16* 


174  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

BEEAKFAST   COMBINATIONS   FOR  WINTER.     DESIGNED 
TO  SUPPLY   HEAT. 

Amounts  to  vary  according  to  the  age  of  the  child; 
meats  to  be  omitted  for  children  under  jive ,  meat  once 
a  day  being  sufficient  at  this  age. 

White  grapes ;  oatmeal  and  cream ;  boiled  eggs ; 
bread  and  butter ;  cocoa  without  milk. 

Stewed  apples ;  cracked  wheat  and  cream ;  crust 
muffins ;  broiled  fat  bacon  ;  stewed  potatoes  ;  milk  or 
cream  to  drink. 

A  ripe  apple ;  cornmeal  mush  and  cream  ;  stewed  or 
broiled  chicken ;  baked  potatoes  ;  glass  of  milk ;  but- 
tered toast. 

Tokay  grapes  ;  cream  or  top  milk  to  drink  ;  broiled 
mutton-chop  ;  hominy  Avith  salt ;  bread  and  butter. 

An  orange ;  farina  and  cream ;  broiled  steak  or 
creamed  fish  ;  cornmeal  muffins^  good  butter ;  cocoa. 

Clarified  apples ;  wheatena ;  cream ;  whole-meal 
bread  and  butter  ;  broiled  squab  ;  boiled  rice. 

BREAKFAST  MENUS  FOR  A  CHILD  WHO  HAS  REACHED 
THE  AGE  OF  FIVE  OR  SIX.  DESIGNED  PARTICU- 
LARLY TO  SUPPLY  FOOD  FOR  SECOND  DENTITION. 

1.  Whole-meal  wheat  bread  and  butter;  cocoa^ 
always  without  milk ;  oatmeal  porridge  (the  whole 
grain)  and  cream ;  stewed  potatoes  ;  broiled  fish ;  fruit. 

2.  Graham  muffins  (page  210)  and  butter;  milk; 
cornmeal  mush  (the  whole  grain)  and  cream ;  stewed 
chicken ;  an  orange. 

3.  Corn  bread;  porridge  made  from  whole  wheat 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  175 

ground  in  a  coffee-mill  and  cooked  four  hours  (the 
calcareous  deposit  needed  is  found  in  the  outside  of 
the  grains),  served  with  cream  ;  a  poached  egg ;  cocoa ; 
a  raw  apple. 

4.  Hominy ;  cream ;  whole-meal  muffins,  made  ac- 
cording to  recipe  for  cream  muffins  (page  209) ;  baked 
potato ;  broiled  fat  bacon ;  milk ;  stewed  fruit  or  white 
or  Tokay  grapes  (no  seeds  or  skins). 

Dinner  menus  for  this  period  should  be  supplied 
with  the  proteids  of  foods  in  proper  proportions  (meat, 
game,  fish,  oysters,  eggs,  milk  foods,  broths,  etc.)  and 
with  salt-giving  foods  (fresh  vegetables  and  fruits), 
and  supper  should  always  include  whole- meal  bread, 
stewed  fruits,  and  an  abundance  of  milk. 

The  following  will  serve  as  a  sample  dinner  menu 
for  the  second  dentition  period :  a  cup  of  beef  broth 
thickened  slightly  with  oatmeal,  or  mutton  broth  with 
barley ;  broiled  fish,  or  lamb-chops,  with  green  peas  ; 
whole-meal  bread  well  toasted  and  buttered  when  cool, 
so  that  the  butter  will  not  melt;  orange  tapioca  for 
dessert. 

Notice  that  there  are  proteids,  to  form  bone  for  the 
teeth,  in  nearly  every  food  prescribed,  and  that  never- 
theless the  salts  and  the  starches  are  not  omitted.  The 
oatmeal  in  the  soup  contains  proteids  and  salts;  the 
fish,  phosphates;  the  whole-meal  bread,  proteids  and 
carbohydrates;  the  butter,  fat;  the  orange,  salts;  the 
tapioca,  starch ;  and  the  peas  contain  proteids  and  salts. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  condition  of  a 
child's  second  set  of  teeth  depends  very  largely  on  the 
kind  of  food  taken  during  the  years  immediately  pre- 
ceding second  dentition. 


176 


HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 


FOODS   FORBIDDEN. 

The  following  foods  are  forbidden  under  all  cir- 
cumstances in  the  nursery  until  after  second  dentition^ 
except  where  indicated : 

Baked  tomatoes. 

Stewed  tomatoes,  except  as 
directed  on  page  92. 

Fried  tomatoes. 

Kaw  tomatoes,  except  as  di- 
rected on  page  92. 

Fried  potatoes. 

Pickled  beets. 

Carrots. 

Pastries. 

Griddle  cakes. 

Fresh  bread. 

Meat  pies. 

Fruit  pies. 

Eicb  cakes. 

Hot  biscuit. 

Muffins,  unless  made  as  directed 
on  page  209,  when  they  are 
permissible  for  a  child  of  five. 

Doughnuts. 

Preserves. 

Canned  fruits. 

Tea. 

Coffee. 

Liquors  of  all  kinds,  unless 
indicated  by  a  physician. 


Ham. 

Sausage. 

Pork. 

Salt  fish. 

Dried  beef. 

Corned  beef. 

Goose. 

Duck. 

Broiled  kidneys. 

Stewed  kidneys. 

Liver  and  bacon. 

Stewed  liver. 

Gravy  from  roast  or  fried  meats, 
except  dish  gravy.  If  care- 
fully made  from  roasts,  with- 
out grease,  according  to  recipe 
given  in  chapter  of  recipes,  it 
may  be  used  after  five  years. 

Meat  stews  as  usually  made, 
but  they  may  be  given  if 
made  as  directed  on  page 
78. 

Eaw  celery. 

Eaw  or  fried  onions. 

Eadishes. 

Cucumbers. 


EXPLANATOEY   LISTS    OF    THE    VARIOUS    CLASSES    OF 
NURSERY   FOODS. 

PROTEIDS. 

These  foods  when  eaten  and   digested   are   tissue- 
builders,  and  repair  waste.     More  proteid  foods  are 


NURSERY  DIETARIES  AND  MENUS.  177 

needed  in  disease  than  in   health,  as  they  are  more 
easily  digested  than  vegetable  foods. 

Milk.  Partridges.  Mutton. 

Eggs.  Gelatin.  Chicken. 

Eaw  oysters.  Beef.  Squabs. 

Lamb.  Turkey.  Fish. 

Yeal.  Pheasant. 

Milk  is  a  complete  food  in  early  childhood  when 
growth  is  active,  consisting  of — 

Proteids Caseine  or  cheese. 

Carbohydrates Sugar. 

Salts Phosphates. 

Fat Cream. 

Eggs  also  form  a  complete  food,  if  the  shell,  which 
supplies  the  chick  with  salts,  is  taken  into  consideration : 
hence,  for  children^  supplement  eggs  with  salt-giving 
foods. 

CAEBOHYDRATES  (Starches  and  Sugars). 

{Make  heat  and  stimulate  energy.) 

Beans.  Peas.  Cornmeal. 

Oatmeal.  Graham  bread.  Wheat  bread. 

Graham  flour.  Wheat  flour.  Barley. 

Oats.  Rye.  Graham  crackers. 

Boston  crackers.  Milk  or  oyster  crackers.  Macaroni. 

Note. — The  above  carbohydrates  contain  a  large 
percentage  of  proteids ;  those  that  follow  do  not. 

White  potatoes.  Rice.  Sweet  potatoes. 

Arrowroot.  Sago.  Tapioca. 

Cakes.  Crackers.  Sugars. 

Sweets.  Dates.  Molasses. 

Muflans.  Bananas.  Pigs. 
m 


178 


HOW   TO  FEED  CHILDREN. 


Note. — Professor  Atwater  says,  "The  vegetable 
foods  are  rich  in  carbohydrates,  like  starch  and  sngar, 
while  the  meats  have  not  enough  to  be  worth  men- 
tioning. On  the  other  hand,  the  meats  abound  in 
protein  and  fats,  of  which  the  vegetables  have  little. 
Beans  and  oatmeal,  however^  are  rich  in  protein,  while 
fat  pork  has  very  little.  Carbohydrates  are  found  in 
the  grape-sugar  of  fruits,  the  sugar  and  starch  of 
vegetables,  and  the  seed-giving  flours.^' 


SALT-GIVING  FOODS. 


G-reen  corn. 

Spinach.                               Celery. 

Green  peas. 

Green  string-beans.            Tomatoes. 

Fresh  Lima  beans. 

Onions,                                 Brussels  sprouts. 

Stewed  fruits. 

Peaches.                               Apples. 

Strawberries. 

Pears.                                  Cranberries, 

HYDKOCAKBONS   OR   FATS. 

Cream. 

Bacon  fat.                            Olive  oil. 

Butter. 

Cod-liver  oil.                     Cocoa. 

Chocolate. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Diet  in  Illness. 

FoNSSAGRiVES  says,  "  Nursing  is  an  instinct  with 
women  :  a  little  added  art  would  do  no  harm.''  Pre- 
vention is  always  better  than  cure  ;  and  early  care, 
with  prompt  recognition  and  treatment  of  symptoms, 
in  conditions  not  normal,  is  far  better  than  to  allow 
the  development  of  fevers,  rickets,  marasmus,  and  other 
innumerable  ills  to  which  children  are  constantly  sub- 
jected unnecessarily  on  account  of  ignorance  and  care- 
lessness upon  the  part  of  those  who  are  responsible. 
The  late  Dr.  John  S.  Parry,  of  Philadelphia,  stated  that 
more  than  one-quarter  of  all  the  children  between  the 
ages  of  one  month  and  five  years  who  came  under  his 
observation  in  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  during  a 
period  of  three  years  were  rachitic.  Dr.  Gee,  of  Lon- 
don, says  that  of  the  patients  under  the  age  of  two  years 
who  have  come  under  his  observation  in  the  London 
Hospital,  one-third  were  rachitic. 

"  The  digestion  of  an  infant  should  never  be  forced ; 
the  true  index  may  be  found  by  studying  the  actions 
of  the  bowels.  No  method  of  feeding  should  be 
tolerated  until  the  passages  show  that  the  food  is 
being  digested  and  appropriated.''  *  Quotations  are 
noc  needed  to  prove  that  the  weight  of  authority  is 
upon   the    side  of   the    necessity   for   exercising  the 

*  Bruen. 

179 


180  HOW  TO   FEED   CHILDREN. 

greatest  amount  of  care  in  diet  when  there  is  the 
slightest  sign  of  indigestion  or  need  for  medical  ad- 
vice. A  simple  presentation  of  the  physiology  of 
digestion  would  undoubtedly  serve  to  show  to  mothers 
why  the  need  exists  for  this  care  in  diet  under  all  con- 
ditions, whether  of  health  or  of  disease.  It  is  usually 
supposed  by  writers  that  every  one  interested  in  die- 
tetics knows  that  digestion  is  the  process  that  prepares 
food  for  absorption  into  the  blood,  and  that  by  assimila- 
tion the  different  elements  of  food  are  selected  for  their 
work  in  the  body ;  that  the  teeth  chew  the  food,  and  the 
saliva  moistens  it,  making  a  beginning  by  partially  di- 
gesting the  starch  in  food,  and  that  the  stomach  continues 
the  work,  followed  by  the  intestines.  But  a  clear  un- 
derstanding of  the  rationale  of  this  process  is  very  rare 
among  the  laity.  Inasmuch  as  every  alimentary  organ 
has  its  specific  work  to  do,  it  must  be  plain  that  certain 
conditions  call  for  certain  foods  ;  that  when  digestion  is 
faulty  or  disordered  in  any  way,  advice  is  necessary  as 
to  which  class  of  foods  are  to  be  withheld  and  which 
are  to  be  given  :  as,  for  instance,  in  typhoid  fever  there 
should  be  no  tax  upon  the  intestines,  and  foods  must, 
therefore,  be  given  that  are  easily  absorbed  and  di- 
gested in  the  stomach,  such  as  peptonized  milk  or  beef, 
white  of  egg  in  water,  koumyss,  etc. 

Mothers  frequently  err  grievously  in  one  direction, 
no  doubt  from  lack  of  knowledge,  in  not  seeing  the 
^advisability  of  total  abstinence  from  food  in  cases  of 
doubt,  at  least  until  a  physician  can  be  called.  It  is 
always  the  safest  plan  to  follow,  and  it  is  the  only  way 
sometimes  by  which  absolute  rest  can  be  obtained  for 
the  diseased  parts.     Fonssagrives  says,  "  The  number 


DIET  IN  ILLNESS  181 

of  cases  of  disease  which  can  be  arrested  in  children 
by  instituting  a  preventive  diet  is  almost  incredible. 
In  them  the  digestive  functions  are  in  a  state  of  activity 
proportionate  to  the  need  felt  by  their  system  for  air 
and  growth,  and  they  are  invariably  involved  in  any 
attack  of  disease.  What,  then,  is  more  natural  and 
more  salutary  than  to  give  them  rest  at  the  outset  of 
an  indisposition ;  but  what  is  less  commonly  prac- 
tised ?  This  matter  of  diet  has,  in  recent  years,  been 
the  subject  of  very  important  research,  and  it  is  now 
sufficiently  cleared  up  ;  but  what  I  do  maintain  is  that 
it  is  a  question  of  the  very  greatest  delicacy,  which 
embarrasses  educated  physicians  themselves,  and  con- 
sequently could  not  be  authoritatively  solved  in  the 
family.'^  *  Again  he  says,  "  One  other  piece  of  advice 
to  mothers,  not  less  salutary,  is  to  restrict  the  treat- 
ment of  an  indisposition  to  diet  alone.  It  almost 
always  suffices  for  a  cure,  and  if  the  attack  must  end 
in  a  disease,  the  ground  has  been  cleared,  the  phy- 
sician's action  facilitated,  and  future  complications 
rendered  less  probable.^^  He  gives  the  following 
recommendations  to  mothers : 

"  Do  not  give  food,  even  light  food,  in  a  condition 
of  fever  unless  the  physician  has  recognized  its  pro- 
priety. 

''  Treat  indisposition  by  diet,  and  begin  it  as  soon 
as  may  be. 

^^  Observe  the  effects  of  articles  of  food,  and  pre- 
serve the  motions  to  show  to  the  physician. 

"  Always  ask  the  physician  in  regard  to  the  interval 

*  The  Mother's  Work  with  Sick  Children. 
16       • 


182  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

which  should  elapse  between  the  food  and  the  medicine 
prescribed  ;  feed  children  chiefly  at  their  habitual  meal- 
times, and  give  them  only  liquid  food  after  four  or  five 
o'clock  in  the  evening. 

"  It  is  more  important  to  preserve,  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, the  regularity  of  a  child's  meals,  even  when 
taken  with  an  acute  disease.  If  it  is  only  a  broth,  it 
is  better  to  give  it  at  the  usual  hours  of  eating.  The 
disease  of  itself  breaks  in  sufficiently  upon  established 
habits,  without  our  intentionally  adding  to  the  disorder. 

^^Xote  the  likes  and  dislikes  of  patients  in  the 
matter  of  food,  and  do  not  insist  upon  dishes  which 
disgust  them.  Nothing  is  less  scientific  than  the  ab- 
solute specification  of  the  articles  of  food  to  be  given. 
The  physician  should  designate  classes  of  food  so  that 
the  mother  may  choose,  within  their  limits,  the  par- 
ticular article  which  the  child  most  desires.  It  has 
been  said  with  reason  that  a  dish  desired  is  half  di- 
gested, and  it  is  true  of  all  ages.  Yet  it  must  be 
remarked  that  those  mothers  who  understand  the 
matter  direct  their  children's  alimentary  tastes  into 
almost  any  channel  they  please,  or  divert  their  repug- 
nances by  artifices  known  to  themselves.  They  have 
nothing  to  learn  in  this  respect. 

"  Give  only  food  of  the  very  best  quality  and  pre- 
pared with  fastidious  care." 

Another  frequent  source  of  trouble  is  met  with  in 
the  effort  to  bring  about  an  adequate  comprehension  of 
the  terms  liquid  diet,  light  diet,  convalescent  diet,  etc. 
Directions  are  frequently  given  to  mothers  and  nurses 
in  this  general  manner.  Nurses  are  supposed  to  know 
what  these  terms  mean,  but  many  mothers  need  infor- 


DIET  IN  ILLNESS.  183 

mation  in  this  respect.  One  might  think  a  broiled  chop 
and  a  baked  potato  constituted  a  very  light  diet,  whilst 
another  would  think  it  should  be  corn  starch  pudding, 
tea,  and  toast.  Referring  to  this  subject,  the  late  Pro- 
fessor Gross,  of  Philadelphia, — to  whose  utterances  the 
weight  of  authority  has  always  been  accorded, — once 
said,  ^^The  diet  of  the  sick-room  has  slain  its  thou- 
f^ands  and  tens  of  thousands.  Broths  and  slops  and 
jellies  and  custards  and  ptisans  are  usually  as  disgust- 
ing as  they  are  pernicious.  Men  worn  out  by  disease 
and  injury  must  have  nutritious  and  concentrated  food. 
The  ordinary  preparations  for  the  sick  are,  in  general, 
not  only  not  nutritious,  but  insipid  and  flatulent.  Ani- 
mal soups  are  among  the  most  efficient  supporters  of 
the  exhausted  system,  and  every  medical  man  should 
know  how  to  give  directions  for  their  preparation. 
The  life  of  a  man  is  his  food.  Solid  articles  are,  of 
course,  withheld  in  acute  diseases  in  their  earlier  staeres  : 
but  when  the  patient  begins  to  convalesce,  they  are 
frequently  borne  with  impunity  and  greatly  promote 
recovery.  All  animal  soups  should  be  made  of  lean 
meat,  and  their  nutritious  properties,  as  well  as  the 
flavor,  may  be  much  increased  by  the  addition  of  some 
vegetable  substances,  as  rice  or  barley.'^ 

Directions  should  be  specific  if  they  are  to  be  of 
benefit.  Mothers  should  ask  physicians  for  definite 
directions,  and  insist  upon  having  them,  and  then 
follow  them  to  the  letter. 

The  usual  acceptation  of  the  term  liquid  diet  implies 
meat  broths,  milk,  whether  peptonized  or  not,  beef 
juice,  gruels,  barley  water,  white  of  Qgg,  mulled  Gg^, 
whey,  wine  and  water,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  to  be 


184  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

given  under  the  direction  of  the  physician,  as  it  is 
during  fevers  and  acute  stages  of  disease  that  they  are 
required.  It  is  a  difficult  and  important  matter  to 
determine  the  kind  and  quality  required  during  twenty- 
four  hours,  the  intervals  to  be  allowed,  and  the  tem- 
perature of  the  liquid  foods  to  be  given. 

Light  diet  is  the  term  usually  employed  to  designate 
the  foods  to  be  given  during  convalescence,  and  consists 
of  very  simple  and  easily  digested  foods.  Fresh-laid 
eggs  may  be  used  when  changing  from  the  broth  diet  to 
solid  food.  They  should  be  cooked  in  hot  water  as 
directed  on  page  81.  Fonssagrives  gives  a  method 
that  he'  asserts  to  be  infallible  for  making  the  whites  of 
eggs  milky  in  cooking,  which  he  says  is  the  proof  of 
good  cooking  and  the  promise  of  easy  digestion.  It  is 
to  have  a  tumbler  (or  a  cup)  filled  with  water  brought 
to  the  boiling-point,  in  which  the  egg  is  to  be  placed ; 
withdraw  the  glass  or  cup  from  the  heat,  and  take  out 
the  egg  when  it  can  be  done  without  scalding  the  fin- 
gers. Eight  minutes'  immersion  in  boiling  water  that 
has  been  taken  from  the  source  of  heat  and  covered 
will  usually  be  fouud  to  serve  the  purpose.  Something 
depends  upon  the  freshness  of  the  egg. 

Light  diet  consists  of  everything  included  in  liquid 
diet,  fruit,  such  as  grapes  and  oranges,  boiled  or  poached 
eggs,  dry  and  milk  toast,  all  the  soups  allow^ed  in  the 
nursery,  delicate  puddings,  scraped  beef,  the  tender 
part  of  oysters,  jellies  made  with  gelatin,  either  swTet 
with  fruit  flavoring  or  wine,  or  not  sw-eet,  using  salt 
w^ith  meat  and  chicken  broths,  etc.  The  change  to 
light  from  liquid  diet  should  be  very  gradually  made, 
adding  one  new  food  at  a  time.     The  following  rules, 


DIET  IN  ILLNESS.  185 

suggested  by  Dr.  Naplieys,  should  always  be  observed 
in  preparing,  cooking,  and  serving  food  for  the  sick  : 
"All  the  utensils  employed  should  be  scrupulously 
clean.  Never  make  a  large  quantity  of  one  thing  at  a 
time.  Serve  everything  in  as  tempting  and  elegant  a 
form  as  possible.  Put  only  a  small  quantity  of  ac 
article  on  a  dish  at  a  time.  Keep  milk  and  other  deli- 
cacies on  ice  in  warm  weather.  Never  leave  food  about 
a  sick-room.  Never  offer  beef  tea  or  broth  with  the 
smallest  particle  of  fat  or  grease  on  it,  nor  milk  that  is 
sour,  nor  meat  or  soup  that  is  turned,  nor  an  egg  that 
is  bad,  nor  vegetables  that  are  underdone.'' 

Convalescent  diet  differs  only  from  the  ordinary  diet 
to  which  the  child  is  accustomed  in  its  extreme  sim- 
plicity and  the  small  quantities  allowed.  One  or  two 
foods  only  should  be  used  at  one  meal.  Bread,  fresh 
eggs,  fish,  oysters,  meat,  and  cooked  fruits  and  a  few 
of  the  most  easily  digested  vegetables  are  the  foods 
from  which  to  select.  Remember  that  the  sudden  sight 
of  food  is  sometimes  an  appetizer,  and  that  a  conva- 
lescent will  often  eat  what  is  brought  to  him  unawares, 
and  refuse  to  eat  what  he  has  himself  been  asked  to 
choose,  or  deny  that  he  has  an  appetite  when  food  is 
mentioned. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  practical  points  for 
use  with  children,  as  suggested  by  the  remarks  of  E.. 
W.  Burnet,  M.D.,*  concerning  foods  in  illness  :  Drink- 
ing hot  water  at  bedtime  and  cold  or  hot  in  the  morn- 
ing before  breakfast  for  dyspeptic  disorders ; — a  tea- 
spoonful  of  malt  added  to  a  cup  of  milk  when  keeping 

*  Poods  and  Dietaries. 
16* 


186  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

up  milk  diet  for  growing  boys  and  girls  who  are 
ansemic; — the  use  of  additional  cream  in  food  as  a 
laxative; — in  mucous  diarrhoea  to  use  farinaceous  foods^ 
such  as  arrowroot,  tapioca,  sago,  with  milk,  white  of 
egg,  to  give  small  quantities  of  food  at  short  intervals, 
to  keep  the  patient  warm,  the  food  to  be  neither  hot  nor 
cold,  to  be  eaten  slowly,  a  teaspoonful  at  a  time,  to  use 
brandy  if  physician  advises,  and  to  use  meat  juice  when 
farinaceous  foods  will  not  do; — in  kidney  troubles, 
often  following  scarlet  fever,  etc.,  to  feed  very  lightly, 
to  cut  down  albuminoids  under  the  physician's  advice, 
to  use  milk  as  a  sole  diet  for  children  in  this  trouble, 
and  for  convalescence  to  give  the  usual  nursery  menus 
minus  meat ; — in  scurvy,  caused  by  restricted  diet,  if 
fresh  vegetables  or  fruit  cannot  be  had,  to  use  lemon 
juice  (purees  are  a  useful  form  for  vegetables  in  this 
trouble,  and  all  softer  foods  of  nursery  dietaries). 

Ansemia  may  occur  in  connection  with  all  diseases. 
For  dietaries  for  anaemic  children  any  of  the  nursery 
menus  given  may  be  used,  with  a  glass  of  cocoa  or 
beef  tea  half-way  between  meals,  and  before  bed  a  cup 
of  peptonized  or  malted  milk  (a  teaspoonful  of  extract 
of  malt  to  a  cup  of  milk).  Cream  added  to  whey  is  a 
useful  food  for  children  of  consumptive  inheritance. 
They  should  early  have  salts  of  tender  meats,  vege- 
tables, and  fruits,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  milk,  open- 
air  life,  little  study,  and  an  abundant  and  easily 
assimilated  diet.  Bronchitis  requires  a  liberal  dietary 
of  light,  nourishing  food.  Diphtheria  requires  abun- 
dant nourishment.  There  is  danger  of  overfeeding  in 
typhoid  fever :  milk  should  be  carefully  taken,  and  it 
should  be  peptonized  when  used.     In  diarrhoea,  gelatin 


DIET  IN  ILLNESS.  187 

and  arrowroot,  white  of  ^gg  and  water,  peptonized 
milk,  etc.,  are  useful.  Special  dietaries  must  }>e  given 
by  the  physician,  as  each  case  must  be  individualized, 
and  he  should  be  able  to  select  the  kind  of  food  re- 
quired and  the  form  in  which  to  give  it,  and  also  to 
direct  how  it  should  be  prepared. 

Inasmuch  as  children  are  frequently  poisoned  by 
eating  sweets  improperly  prepared,  or  berries,  or  seeds, 
or  by  sucking  painted  toys,  their  treatment  under  such 
conditions  becomes  a  matter  very  closely  related  to 
dietetics.  Jane  H.  Walker,  M.D.,  says,*  "The  first 
and  most  important  thing  is  to  make  the  child  vomit 
as  speedily  as  possible,  ...  to  tickle  the  back  of  the 
throat  with  a  feather,  and  give  large  drinks  of  luke- 
warm water,  or  of  mustard  and  warm  water.  A  tea- 
spoonful  of  mustard  in  a  tumbler  of  warm  water  is 
very  efficacious.  Greasy  or  soapy  water,  if  it  is  the 
readiest  obtainable,  does  perfectly ;  soapy  water  has 
the  advantage  that  if  the  poisonous  substance  taken  be 
an  acid,  it  is  an  excellent  antidote.  See  that  the  child 
is  repeatedly  nauseated,  and  then  give  it  bland  sooth- 
ing substances,  such  as  white  of  egg  beaten  up,  milk, 
barley  water,  or  oil.  These  help  if  the  poison  has  been 
of  an  irritating  character,  such  as  carbolic  acid. 

"  If  there  is  great  depression,  stimulants  must  be 
given  and  hot-water  bottles  applied.  The  best  stimu- 
lant is  strong  hot  tea,  because  it  is  an  antidote  to  many 
poisons. 

"  If  there  is  great  tendency  to  sleep,  it  must  be  pre- 
vented at  all  cost.    This  tendency  generally  shows  that 

*  A  Book  for  Every  "Woman,  Longmans,  Green  &  Co. 


188 


HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 


opium  in  one  of  its  numerous  preparations  lias  been 
taken^  and  sleep  indulged  in  at  this  time  will  probably 
be  the  sleep  that  knows  no  waking.  When  the  poison- 
ous substance  that  has  been  taken  is  known,  the  method 
of  procedure  differs  with  the  particular  poison." 

ANTIDOTES   FOE  POISONS. 

Useful  hints  for  emergencies. 
In  cases  where  the  other  articles  to  be  used  as  anti- 
dotes are  not  in  the  house,  give  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
made  mustard  in  a  pint  of  warm  water.  Also  give 
large  draughts  of  warm  milk  or  water  mixed  with  oil, 
butter,  or  lard.     If  possible,  give  as  follows  : 

For  bedbug  poison, 
blue  vitriol, 
corrosive  sublimate, 
lead  water, 

saltpetre,  |- 

sugar  of  lead, 
sulpbate  of  zinc, 
red  precipitate, 
vermilion. 


Give  milk   or  white   of  eggs  in 
large  quantities. 


For  Fowler's  solution, 
wbite  precipitate, 
arsenic. 

For  antimonial  wine, 
tartar  emetic, 

For  oil  of  vitriol, 
aqua  fortis, 

bicarbonate     of     potas- 
sium, 
hydrochloric  acid, 
oxalic  acid, 


"I   Give   prompt   emetic  of  mustard 


1- 


and  salt,  tablespoonful  of  each  ; 
follow  with  sweet  oil,  butter,  or 
milk. 

Drink  warm  water  to  encourage 
vomiting.  If  vomiting  does 
not  stop,  give  a  grain  of  opium 
in  water. 


Magnesia    or    soap    dissolved 
I       water,  every  two  minutes. 


m 


DIET  IN  ILLNESS. 


189 


For  caustic  soda, 
caustic  potash, 
volatile  alkali, 


For  carbolic  acid, 


For  chloral  hydrate, 
chloroform, 

For  carbonate  of  sodium, 
copperas, 
cobalt, 

For  laudanum, 
morphine, 

opium    (paregoric    car- 
minatives), 

For  nitrate  of  silver, 
For    strychnine     (rat     and 
beetle  paste), 
tincture  of  nux  vomica, 


Drink  freely  of  water  with  vin- 
egar or  lemon  juice  in  it. 

Give  flour  and  water  or  glutinous 
drinks  (olive  oil  in  large  quan- 
tities, then  an  emetic,  is  recom- 
mended by  Dr.  Walker). 

Pour  cold  water  over  the  head  and 
fiice,  with  artificial  respiration, 
and  galvanic  battery. 

Prompt  emetics ;  soaps  or  muci- 
laginous drinks. 

Strong  coflPee  followed  by  ground 
mustard    or    grease     in    warm 
water     to     produce     vomiting. 
Keep  in  motion. 
}  Give  common  salt  in  water. 

1   Emetic  of  mustard  or  sulphate  of 
i       zinc,  aided  by  warm  water.* 
J 


*  American  Analyist. 


GHAPTEE  XV. 

Diet  for  School-Children. 

Yeo  emphasizes  the  period  of  school-life  as  one  of 
the  most  critical  and  important  epochs  in  the  life  of 
children  as  regards  adequate  nutrition.  He  says  that 
at  this  period  there  is  not  only  continuous  growth  and 
development,  but  remarkable  activity,  which  demands 
a  complete  and  liberal  dietary.  Teachers  in  boarding- 
schools  are  apt  to  overlook  this  fact,  and  parents,  as  a 
rule,  know  little  of  the  necessity  for  additional  care  at 
this  time,  with  the  result  only  too  often  of  the  founda- 
tion being  laid  for  future  disease,  or  of  the  undermining 
of  strength  that  should  be  held  in  reserve  for  later  life. 
Both  body  and  mind  are  undergoing  rapid  development 
at  this  time,  and  the  greatest  care  should  be  exercised. 
The  food  must  be  abundant,  and  must  contain  suffi- 
cient proteids,  starches,  sugars,  and  inorganic  salts  to 
meet  the  constant  demand  for  these  constituents  of  a 
perfect  food.  It  must  be  remembered  that  this  is  a 
period  when  digestion  and  assimilation  are  active.  It 
is  a  frequent  custom  among  mothers  of  growing  boys 
and  girls  going  to  school  to  jest  about  their  immense 
appetites,  and  not  only  to  jest,  but  actually  to  limit  sup- 
plies of  certain  foods  especially  needed  at  this  period. 
The  custom  of  sending  children  to  school  upon  a  light 
breakfast  or  none  at  all,  with  a  cold  luncheon  for  the 
noon  meal,  is  reprehensible  to  the  last  degree.  Or,  if 
190 


DIET  FOR  SCHOOL-CHILDREN.  191 

a  hot  dinner  is  provided,  the  habit  of  rushing  home  at 
noon  in  a  limited  time  to  consume  eagerly  and  rapidly 
the  food  which  should  be  eaten  leisurely  and  enjoyed, 
has  a  strong  influence  upon  the  integrity  of  the  child's 
health,  and  it  should  not  be  allowed  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. If  school  law^s  are  rigid,  remember  that 
parental  autliority  should  be  absolute,  and  insist  upon 
different  hours ;  or,  if  nothing  better  can  be  done,  keep 
the  child  away  for  the  time  required,  irrespective  of  late- 
marks,  etc.  Such  action,  if  concerted,  would  speedily 
bring  authorities  to  the  point  of  meeting  existing  needs 
in  this  direction.  Do  not  forget  that  there  is  a  lifetime 
for  study  and  only  part  of  one  during  which  the  physical 
building-up  process  can  be  regulated.  To  sum  up  the 
rules  laid  dowm  by  Yeo,  Dukes,  Thompson,  and  others, 
the  foods  required  during  this  period  are  as  follows : 
Well-made  whole-meal  bread ;  as  much  butter  as  is 
desired;  an  abundant  supply  of  milk  all  through 
adolescence;  starches  and  sugars  should  be  freely 
supplied  (giving  heat  and  force) ;  meat  twice  a  day ; 
fish  for  delicate  feeders ;  green  vegetables  in  abun- 
dance, either  alone  or  in  vegetable  soups  (to  prevent 
eczema) ;  suppers  should  be  light,  not  stimulating ; 
the  craving  for  sweets  should  be  satisfied  with  mod- 
eration and  wisdom  in  selection ;  a  free  use  of  salads 
should  be  made ;  all  cooking  should  be  carefully 
looked  after,  and  food  should  be  made  savory  and 
appetizing ;  in  fact,  the  rules  given  by  dietists  for 
early  life  should  be  carried  out  through  the  entire 
period  of  childhood  to  adult  life,  and,  indeed,  many 
of  the  suggestions  may  be  followed  with  benefit  even 
then. 


192  BOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

Dr.  Thompson  says  many  children  inherit  feeble  con- 
stitutions, such  as  the  scrofulous,  rachitic,  and  gouty, 
which  must  be  combated  through  the  whole  period  of 
childhood.  He  says  such  children  are  better  at  home, 
where  they  can  be  under  constant  observation  and 
proper  dietetic  treatment,  or  country  schools  can  be 
found  for  them  where  such  matters  are  made  the  sub- 
ject of  special  consideration.  He  speaks  of  the  large 
number  of  cases  of  anaemia  and  chlorosis  seen  in  young 
girls  during  or  shortly  after  the  attainment  of  the  con- 
dition of  puberty,  and  which  he  says  are  directly  trace- 
able to  malnutrition  from  faulty  diet.  This  fact  may 
serve  to  show  to  some  jDarents  why  Providence,  as  they 
say,  has  so  frequently  afflicted  their  growing  daughters 
with  delicate  health,  which  is  more  frequently  their 
lament  than  their  shame.  I  think  it  was  Shirley  Dare 
who  said  that  the  day  will  come  when  many  forms  of 
illness  will  be  considered  a  discredit  to  those  involved. 
As  the  knowledge  of  causes  increases  there  will  certainly 
come  a  less  ready  willingness  to  credit  everything  to  a 
hitherto  much -abused  Providence.  The  patience  of 
physicians  in  dealing  with  this  class  of  diseases  is  a 
constantly  growing  marvel.  Inasmuch  as  Dr.  Thomp- 
son *  has  covered  the  subject  of  school  diet  so  thor- 
oughly, liberal  quotations  are  made  in  the  interest  of 
our  readers. 

"  Girls  take  much  less  exercise  than  boys  as  a  rule, 
and  are  more  apt  to  become  constipated.  This  diffi- 
culty may  be  increased  by  lack  of  sufficient  fresh  vege- 
tables or  fruit  in  their  diet,  and  if  prolonged  it  is 

*  Practical  Dietetics,  W.  G-ilman  Thompson,  M.D. 


DIET  FOR  SCHOOL-CHILDREN.  193 

enough  in  itself  to  cause  anaemia.  The  latter  (anaemia) 
may  also  be  brought  about  by  insufficient  good  animal 
food.  It  should  be  the  imperative  duty  of  every  head 
master  of  a  school  for  children  to  realize  the  responsi- 
bilities of  rightly  developing  the  physical  constitution 
of  those  intrusted  to  his  care,  and  to  make  a  thorough 
study  of  the  questions  of  dietetics  involved. 

"  An  important  consideration  in  school  diet  is  to 
prevent  monotony,  which  becomes  so  common  from 
economic  reasons,  or  more  often  from  carelessness.  It 
is  much  easier  to  yield  to  routine  and  force  of  habit 
or  to  leave  the  matter  to  the  indiscretions  of  an  un- 
intelligent cook.  But  a  little  study  and  thought  ex- 
pended upon  this  subject  can  always  result  in  furnishing 
variety  in  a  wholesome  diet  without  material  increase  of 
expense. 

"  The  hours  for  study  and  for  meals  should  be  so 
regulated  that  sufficient  time  should  be  allowed  before 
each  meal  for  children  to  wash  and  prepare  themselves 
comfortably  without  going  to  the  table  excited  by 
hurry,  and  they  should  be  required  to  remain  at  the 
table  throughout  a  fixed  time,  never  being  allowed  to 
hastily  swallow  their  food  in  order  to  complete  an  un- 
finished task  or  game.  An  interval  of  half  an  hour 
or  more  should  intervene  for  recreation  after  meals, 
in  order  that  digestion  may  be  well  under  way  before 
any  mental  exertion  is  required.  Constant  nibbling  at 
food  between  meals  should  be  forbidden ;  it  destroys 
the  appetite,  increases  the  saliva,  and  interferes  with 
gastric  digestion.  The  number  of  meals  for  children 
should  be  adapted  to  the  age  of  the  pupils.  For  young 
children  from  ten  to  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age  it 
in  17 


194  BOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

may  be  necessary  to  furnish  food  somewhat  oftener 
than  for  the  older  ones. 

"  If  children  live  at  a  distance  from  their  school^  or 
if  they  are  weak  and  easily  fatigued  and  inclined  to 
sleep  over  in  the  mornings  their  hours  for  study  should 
be  so  adjusted  that  they  are  never  obliged  to  hurry 
their  eating  in  order  to  be  on  time  for  school  work. 
The  teachers  should  consider  themselves  quite  as  re- 
sponsible for  regulating  this  matter  as  are  the  parents. 

"  Children  should  never  be  hurried  off  to  school  in 
the  morning  with  an  insufficient  and  rapidly  eaten 
breakfast.  Their  appetites  are  often  poor  at  this  hour 
from  the  effects  of  an  ill- ventilated  sleeping  apartment, 
and  if  they  are  subsequently  kept  at  school  for  five 
hours  without  luncheon  they  will  be  very  ill  prepared 
for  mental  work.  Or  they  ride  to  school  without 
exercise  after  a  hasty  breakfast,  take  a  hurried  cold 
lunch  at  noon,  and  perhaps  a  warmed-over  late  dinner, 
and  at  six  or  seven  o'clock  a  fourth  meal,  after  which 
they  are  expected  to  study  and  go  to  bed. 

"  It  is  being  more  and  more  realized  by  teachers 
and  the  public  in  general  that  the  breaking  down  of 
health  at  school  is  quite  as  often,  if  not  oftener,  due  to 
impoverished  nutrition  than  to  overwork. 

^^A  fact  which  is  often  overlooked  in  the  dietetic 
treatment  of  growing  chiklren  is  that  their  digestive 
processes  are  so  active  that  the  stomach  is  emptied 
somewhat  sooner  than  in  the  case  of  adults,  and,  their 
meals  being  promptly  absorbed,  it  is  natural  for  them 
to  become  hungry  if  the  intervals  between  the  hours 
of  eating  are  prolonged.  In  some  schools,  children 
are  given  their  last  meal  of  the  day  at  six  o^clock  in 


DIET  FOR  SCHOOL-CHILDREN.  195 

the  evening,  and  they  may  not  breakfast  until  seven 
or  half-past  seven  or  even  later,  leaving  an  interval  of 
over  thirteen  hours  during  which  they  have  no  food  at 
all.  The  evening  meal  is  usually  made  light,  on  the 
ground  that  they  can  sleep  better,  and  it  is  therefore 
sooner  digested.  Robust  children  can,  perhaps,  thrive 
on  this  treatment,  but  those  less  strong  are  injured  by 
it.  For  some  school-children  of  from  ten  to  fourteen 
years  of  age  it  will  be  much  better  to  give  the  es^ening 
meal  later,  at  say  seven  o'clock,  and  the  breakfast  at 
half-past  six  or  seven,  and  if  they  awaken  hungry 
during  the  night  there  is  no  harm  in  their  having  a 
glass  of  milk  and  a  cracker. 

"Very  delicate  children  whose  appetites  are  poor 
and  who  do  not  do  justice  to  their  regular  meals 
should  be  given  an  extra  allowance  of  hot  broth  or 
hot  milk,  or  an  occasional  cup  of  chocolate,  with  bread 
and  butter  and  rusk,  between  meals. 

"  These  general  rules  are  applicable  in  cases  of  chil- 
dren who,  during  one  or  two  years,  seem  to  develop 
with  extraordinary  suddenness  and  rapidity,  growing 
sometimes  two  inches  or  more  in  six  months  and  at- 
taining a  height  quite  disproportionate  to  their  frames. 
The  demands  of  this  rapid  growth  must  be  met  by 
proper  nutrition,  or  serious  subsequent  impairment  of 
vitality  may  result.  Such  children  should  have  their 
meals  made  tempting  by  good  cooking  and  pleasant 
variety  as  well  as  an  agreeable  appearance  of  the 
food. 

"Meat  which  is  carved  in  unsightly  masses,  and 
vegetables  which  are  sodden  and  tasteless,  will  be 
refused,  and   an   ill   attempt   is   made  to  supply  the 


196  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

deficiency  in  proper  food  by  eating  indigestible  candy, 
nuts^  etc.  Children  often  have  no  natural  liking  for 
meat,  and  prefer  puddings,  pastry,  or  sweets  when 
they  can  obtain  them,  and  it  is  the  more  important 
that  meat  should  be  made  attractive  to  them  at  the 
age  when  they  need  it. 

"  It  is  unnecessary  to  discuss  further  questions  which, 
after  all,  must  be  controlled  by  tact  and  circumstances 
of  individual  cases,  and  the  line  must  be  drawn  with 
care  between  making  a  child  too  fastidious  on  the  one 
hand  in  regard  to  the  nature  of  its  food,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  impairing  its  constitution  by  monotony  of 
diet  and  ill-cooked  viands.  Children  at  school  should 
especially  be  required  to  eat  slowly,  for  the  habit  of 
fast  eating  is  almost  contagious,  and,  as  it  is  much 
easier  to  acquire  than  to  overcome,  the  foundation  of 
dyspepsia  and  life-long  discomfort  may  be  laid  in  this 
way  in  childhood. 

A   SAMPLE   DIET. 

'If  early  rising  is  insisted  upon,  a  child  should 
never  be  set  any  task  before  breakfast,  especially  in 
winter,  and  if  it  is  not  expedient  to  serve  a  full  break- 
fast at  half-past  six  or  seven,  the  child  should  be  given 
a  bowl  of  hot  milk  and  bread,  or  a  cup  of  cocoa  Avith 
a  roll,  or  other  light  food ;  breakfast  may  be  served 
later  after  the  first  exercises  of  the  morning,  and  should 
be  a  substantial  meal  with  animal  food  in  the  form  of 
either  fish,  or  eggs,  or  cold  meat  of  some  sort,  with 
porridge  of  wheaten  grits,  or  hominy  with  milk  or 
cream  and  abundant  sugar,  also  bread  and  butter,  with 
some  sweets  in  the  form  of  jam,  or  marmalade,  or 


DIET  FOR  SCHOOL-CHILDREN.  197 

stewed  fruit.  Dinner,  which  should  always  be  served 
near  the  middle  of  the  day,  should  comprise  meat, 
potatoes,  with  one  or  two  green  vegetables,  and  some 
form  of  sweet  pudding.  The  supper,  it  is  generally 
admitted,  should  comprise  only  easily  digested  articles 
of  food,  and  such  substances  as  pastry,  cheese,  and 
meats  are  better  omitted.  It  should  consist  of  either  a 
porridge  with  milk  or  cream,  or  a  light  farinaceous 
pudding  of  rice,  tapioca,  sago,  and  the  like,  with  bread 
and  butter,  and  some  simple  form  of  preserve,  or  stewed 
apples  or  prunes,  or  very  light  plain  cake,  or  a  good 
bowl  of  nutritious  broth  with  bread  or  crackers  may 
be  substituted  for  the  porridge  or  pudding.  It  will 
sometimes  be  found  best  to  serve  this  meal  at  seven 
o'clock  or  half-past  seven,  and  if  hungry  the  child 
may  be  given  a  slice  of  bread  and  butter  and  a  cup  of 
weak  tea  or  coffee,  mostly  hot  milk,  at  half-past  five  or 
six  o'clock. 

"  Children  need  fat,  but  they  do  not  digest  meat  fat 
well,  as  a  rule,  and  are  very  apt  to  dislike  it.  They 
will  often  take  suet  pudding,  however,  when  hot  mutton 
fat  wholly  disagrees  with  them. 

"Milk  should  be  freely  supplied  not  only  in  the 
form  of  puddings  and  porridges,  but  as  an  occasional 
beverage,  and  children  should  be  made  to  understand 
that  when  hungry  they  can  obtain  a  glass  of  milk,  or  a 
bowl  of  crackers  or  bread  and  milk,  for  the  asking. 

"  Fresh  fish,  eggs,  and  bacon  are  all  wholesome  and 
serviceable  foods  for  children,  and  meat,  as  a  rule,  may 
be  given  twice  a  day,  but  not  oftener.  It  may  some- 
times be  advisable  to  give  it  but  once  a  day  when  fish 
or  eggs  are  supplied;  it  should,  however,  always  be 

17* 


198  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

given  at  least  once  daily ^  and  better  twice  to  rapidly 
growing  children.  Large,  strong  bovs  require  a  great 
deal  of  meat,  and  its  use  should  not  be  stinted.  The 
larger  boys  may  eat  from  seven  to  nine  or  even  twelve 
ounces  of  cooked  meat  as  a  ration,  although  many 
children  may  not  require  so  much,  the  smaller  boys 
doing  well  with  from  five  to  six  ounces,  and  the  older 
boys  with  from  seven  to  eight  ounces  daily. 

^^  During  midwinter,  when  fresh  vegetables  are  almost 
unobtainable  in  severe  climates,  vigorous  boys  are  apt 
to  have  too  much  meat  given  them,  and  Yeo  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  eczema  may  be  produced  in  them 
by  a  too  exclusive  animal  diet. 

"  Overeating  should  be  guarded  against.  The  habit 
of  slow  eating  should  be  insisted  upon. 

^^  It  is  well  to  allow  children  to  play  but  moderately 
immediately  after  eating  and  to  require  no  mental  w^ork 
of  them  at  such  times. 

'^  For  some  reason  the  diet  in  girls'  schools  is  apt  to 
be  much  less  carefully  regulated  than  in  corresponding 
schools  for  boys.  This  applies  not  only  in  the  United 
States,  but  it  has  been  found  the  common  experience  in 
England  and  France  ;  it  is  the  more  unfortunate,  since 
girls,  from  their  greater  delicacy  of  constitution,  espe- 
cially at  the  period  of  puberty,  require  more  careful 
nurture.  Differences  in  habits  and  exercise  and  out- 
door recreation,  no  doubt,  in  part,  are  responsible  for 
the  comparative  lack  of  proper  development  in  some 
girls'  schools  as  compared  with  boys',  but  this  should 
be  recognized  and  regulated  with  as  much  care  as  the 
diet. 

"  During  the  establishment  of  puberty  it  is  best  for 


DIET  FOR  SCHOOL-CHILDREN.  199 

children  to  avoid  stimulating  and  highly  seasoned  food, 
and  eating  late  at  night.  .  .  .  Alcohol  should  be 
wholly  forbidden." 

The  British  Medical  Journal  says,  in  commenting  on 
an  article  in  the  St.  Jameses  Gazette,  on  the  question 
whether  "  parents  underfeed  their  children/'  that  ^'  it  is 
only  too  true  that  underfeeding  prevails, — particularly 
in  the  girls'  school ;  not  the  underfeeding  of  necessity, 
but  the  semi-starvation  due  to  ignorance  or  meanness. 
The  facts  would  be  revealed  at  once,  and  the  greatest 
benefit  be  conferred  upon  the  life,  health,  happiness, 
and  growth   of  children,  if  we  could   impress   upon 
parents   and  teachers  the  value  of  scales  and  meas- 
ure.    Every  age  has  its  normal  height  and  weight, 
and  every  season  and  every  year  its  normal  rate  of 
growth.     The  diet  may  be  inadequate  in  proportion  to 
the  work  required  to  be  done,  especially  where  work  is 
required  before  food,  as  in  early  morning  lessons.  .  .  . 
Insufficient  care  is  taken  at  home,  and  still  more  at 
school,  to  provide  an  adequate  variety  in  feeding.    It  is 
often  the  same,  day  after  day,  week  after  week,  and  year 
after  year.     The  outcry  against  the  feeding  at  schools, 
which  arises  from  time  to  time,  is  frequently  to  be  traced 
to  this  defect.     Most  of  the  causes  of  the  underfeeding 
of  children,  both  at  home  and  at  school,  would  disap- 
pear if  the  scales  and  measure  were  systematically 
resorted  to,  for  they  would  instantly  point  out  those 
children  who  were  not  thriving.     Unnatural  and  im- 
reasonable  restraints  would  be  removed  by  parents  and 
teachers,  if  hindrances  to  growth  were  so  palpably 
presented  to  them.'' 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Recipes. 

The  following  list  is  a  summary  of  the  recipes 
given  throughout  the  book,  with  pages  specified. 
Others  are  added  that  have  been  tested  and  considered 
practically  as  well  as  dietetically  : 


Meat  broths     . 
Vegetable  soups 
Chicken  broth 
Barley  broth    , 
Broiling  meats 
Panning  meats 
Boiling  meats 
Meat  stew    . 
Koast  beef   . 
Sweetbreads 
Eggs,  boiled 
rish,  broiled 

creamed 

boiled 

baked 
Oysters 
Squabs 
Chicken    . 
Turkey     . 
Partridge 
Pheasant  . 
Vegetable  omelet 
Milk  jelly 
Cereals 
Barley  and  gluten  porrid 
Bread    .... 
Moravian  cake 
200 


PAGE 

67 
68 
72 
73 
75 
77 
77 
78 
79 
79 
80 
82 
82 
82 
82 
83 
83 
83 
83 
83 
83 
127 
118 
56 
57 
59 
65 


PAGE 

Zwieback     .......  65 

Macaroni 96 

Corn 93 

Kice      94 

Potatoes 95 

Spinach 88 

Stewed  onions 89 

Stewed  celery      90 

Cauliflower 90 

Peas 91 

Beans 91 

Asparagus 92 

Tomatoes 92 

Beets 92 

Apple  sauce 93 

Brussels  sprouts      ....  93 

Pruit  gelatin 117 

Pruit  corn  starch,  or  blanc- 
mange        118 

Junket 115 

Baked  apple 115 

Yellow  or  white  custards  .  116 

Soft  custard     ......  116 

Cup  custard 116 

Pruit-juice  custards    ...  116 

Gelatin  desserts       .    .    .    .  117 

Irish-moss  blanc-mange    .  118 


RECIPES.  201 

BEEF  JUICE. 

Remove  all  fat  and  tissue  from  a  half-pound  of  lean 
beef;  broil  over  a  clear  fire  from  six  to  eight  minutes ; 
cut  the  meat  into  small  pieces^  and  squeeze  out  the 
juice  with  a  meat-press  or  lemon  squeezer.  Add  salt. 
When  warming,  put  the  juice  into  a  cup  and  set  it  in 
hot  water,  that  it  may  not  coagulate,  as  it  will  do  if 
heated  in  the  ordinary  manner. 

BEEF   ESSENCE. 

Put  one  pound  of  chopped  lean  beef,  with  a  little 
salt,  in  a  glass  fruit-jar  or  in  one  of  the  porcelain  com- 
partments of  an  Arnold  Nursery  Cooker,  and  see  that 
the  cover  is  tight.  If  the  jar  is  used,  place  it  in  the 
oven  in  a  pan  of  water  or  in  an  ordinary  Arnold 
steamer  and  cook  four  or  five  hours.  Strain  the  essence 
through  a  very  coarse  strainer,  one  that  will  keep  back 
the  meat-pulp  only. 

BEEF   OE   MUTTON   TEA. 

This  recipe  is  adapted  from  Burnet,  and  is  efficacious 
in  cases  of  anaemia.  One  pound  of  chopped  beef  or 
one  and  one-half  pounds  of  lean  mutton  (chopped) ; 
no  gristle  or  fat ;  ten  drops  of  hydrochloric  acid,  and  a 
pint  of  water.  Put  the  beef  and  acid  in  the  water,  and 
keep  it  covered  in  a  cool  place  for  at  least  six  hours, 
or  overnight  if  possible.  Simmer  for  two  hours,  strain, 
and  salt.  Remove  all  fat  when  cool.  It  may  be  used 
cold,  or,  if  desired,  it  may  be  heated  in  a  cup  in  warm 
water. 


202  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

VEAL   BROTH. 

Veal  broth  is  nutritious,  and  is  the  only  form  in 
which  to  use  veal  in  the  nursery.  Use  one- half  pound 
of  minced  lean  veal  to  one  pint  of  salted  cold  water. 
Let  it  stand  four  hours,  then  simmer  slowly  (it  should 
not  reach  the  boiling-point)  for  two  hours,  strain 
through  a  coarse  sieve,  and  skim  when  cool. 

MUTTON  AND  VEAL  BROTH. 

Use  one  pound  of  meat,  half  mutton  and  half  veal,  to 
a  pint  of  cold  salted  water,  and  proceed  as  above.  Bar- 
ley or  rice  may  be  added,  a  tablespoon ful  of  either,  well 
boiled.  Milk  thickened  with  flour  is  a  pleasant  addi- 
tion to  the  above  or  to  plain  mutton  broth. 

CHICKEN   BROTH. 

Cut  up  a  chicken,  bones  and  all,  into  small  pieces,  put 
them  over  the  fire  in  cold  water,  add  a  little  salt,  and 
simmer  for  six  hours.  Cool,  remove  the  fat,  and  keep 
the  jelly  covered  in  a  cool  place.  This  yields  a  very 
strengthening  soup,  which  may  be  made  the  base  of 
many  a  delicate  dish  for  children  or  invalids. 

CHICKEN   CUSTARD. 

Use  chicken  broth  instead  of  milk,  with  beaten  eggs, 
in  the  same  manner  as  when  making  cup  custard,  sea- 
souing  with  salt  instead  of  sugar.  Serve  cold  or  warm, 
with  or  without  thickened  chicken  broth. 

Burnet  strongly  advises  the  thickening  of  broths 
with  arrowroot,  boiled  flour,  etc.     They  may  also  be 


RECIPES.  203 

thickened  with  gelatin.     Chicken  broth  is  especially 
nice  when  done  in  this  way. 

OYSTER   BROTH. 

Chop  six  fresh  oysters  and  heat  them  in  an  agate 
saucepan,  letting  the  liquor  which  exudes  from  the 
oysters  come  to  a  boil.  Add  a  very  little  hot  water, 
season,  and  serve  after  strainmg.  This  is  very  nice 
with  buttered  crackers. 

CLAM  BROTH. 

Put  a  few  well-washed  clams  in  a  clean  pan  in  a  hot 
oven,  or  in  a  steamer  over  a  hot  fire.  When  they  open, 
drain  oif  the  liquor  and  add  an  equal  quantity  of  hot 
water.  Season  to  taste  and  thicken  with  grated  cracker, 
if  desired,  or  serve  plain  with  buttered  crackers. 

POTATO   SOUP. 

Peel  one  dozen  potatoes  and  one  onion  and  cut  them 
into  small  pieces.  Cook  them  tender  in  a  quart  and 
pint  of  beef-stock,  plain  water,  or  vegetable  water  (page 
69),  and  rub  the  potato  through  a  puree  sieve.  Add 
salt  and  a  half-pint  of  hot  cream.  Beat  lightly,  and 
serve  with  bits  of  zwieback  or  dry  toasted  bread  broken 
into  small  bits  into  the  soup  plate. 

SAVORY  JELLY.     (Adapted  from  Burnet.) 

Take  half  a  chicken,  one  pound  of  neck  of  veal,  one 
pound  of  lean  beef  (from  under  the  shoulder  is  the 
best  part  for  beef  tea,  etc.).  Separate  the  joints  of  the 
chicken,  then  cut  all  the  meat — beef,  veal,  and  chicken 


204  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

— into  very  small  pieces ;  put  the  whole  in  an  earthen 
covered  vessel  with  two  quarts  of  water  and  enough 
salt  to  season ;  stew  gently  in  the  oven  for  five  or  six 
hours ;  skim,  strain,  and  keep  cool.  This  is  a  very 
nutritious  jelly,  and  it  may  be  made  very  easily  in  the 
'^Nursery  Cooker"  mentioned  before. 

EOAST    BEEF   GEAVY. 

The  thick  brown  essence  in  the  pan,  called  ozmazome, 
should  be  dissolved  in  a  little  water  after  the  fat  has 
been  poured  off.  It  may  then  be  thickened  and  sea- 
soned in  the  usual  manner.  Gravy  made  from  fried 
meats  must  not  be  used  in  the  nursery. 

A   HOME-MADE   MEAT   POWDEE. 

Dr.  W.  R.  Huggard  (Muenchener  Medicinische  Wo- 
chenschrift)  gives  a  convenient  method  of  preparing  a 
powder  from  meat  to  be  used  as  a  nutrient.  Lean  meat 
is  cut  into  small  pieces ;  these  are  dipped  into  boiling 
fat  for  a  few  minutes,  until  the  surface  is  browned, 
then  taken  out  and  drained  on  a  sieve.  They  are  then 
cut  into  fine  pieces  and  dried  in  an  oven  for  twenty- 
four  hours  Avith  a  slow  fire.  The  meat  thereby  becomes 
dry  and  brittle,  and  may  be  easily  ground  in  a  coffee- 
mill.  By  this  process  of  roasting  it  has  lost  four-fifths 
of  its  weight.  This  meat  powder  has  a  pleasant  taste, 
and  may  be  used  in  various  ways,  as  in  hot  water, 
mixed  with  mashed  potato,  on  bread  and  butter,  as  a 
sandwich,  in  soup,  milk  broths,  etc.  It  is  very  easily 
digested,  is  tolerated  by  the  most  delicate  stomach,  and 
may  be  kept,  if  dry  and  excluded  from  the  air,  for  a 
long  time. 


RECIPES.  205 

EGG   CUSTARDS   WITHOUT   MILK.    • 

Ingredients  required. — Four  eggs,  two  tablespoonfuls 
of  sugar,  the  juice  of  an  orange  or  a  lemon,  or  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  vanilla. 

Beat  the  yolks  well  with  the  sugar,  and  pour  them 
into  a  double  boiler.  Stir  over  the  fire  until  the  mix- 
ture thickens,  then  add  the  flavoring  and  the  whites  of 
the  eggs,  which  should  have  been  previously  beaten  to 
a  froth.  Stir  a  few  minutes  longer,  and  pour  into  a 
mould  and  cool.  These  custards  may  be  made  also 
with  salt,  meat  juice,  celery,  or  chicken  broth  for  a 
pleasant  variation.  Inasmuch  as  there  is  always  great 
demand  for  new  dishes  that  are  not  sweet,  it  may  be 
well  to  remember  that  this  plan  may  be  followed  with 
tapioca,  sago,  rice,  and  many  other  farinaceous  foods  that 
are  generally  used  in  sweet  puddings  if  used  at  all.  It 
requires  very  little  originality  to  make  a  palatable  and 
wholesome  dish  of  any  of  the  above-mentioned  articles 
without  following  the  stereotyped  plan  of  sweetening 
and  flavoring.  The  following  recipe  is  an  illustration 
of  this  method  : 

TAPIOCA   WITH   CHICKEN   OR   MEAT   JELLY. 

Wash  one-half  cup  of  tapioca,  and  put  it  into  a 
double  boiler  with  one- half  cup  of  cold  water.  Let  it 
absorb  the  water,  then  add  a  pint  of  chicken  broth, 
milk  jelly,  or  any  meat  infusion,  and  cook  until  the 
tapioca  is  soft  and  clear.  Season  with  salt,  and  mould. 
Serve  hot  or  cold  as  preferred.  For  another  change,  a 
well-beaten  egg  may  be  stirred  into  the  tapioca  when 
it  is  taken  from  the  fire.     These  moulds  are  very  ap- 

18 


206  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

petizing  when  served  with  a  little  of  the  same  broth 
or  essence  that  has  been  used  in  making  the  jelly  if 
thickened  and  daintily  seasoned. 

A   SAVORY   BREAKFAST   CUSTARD. 

Fill  a  custard  cup  lightly  with  bread  crumbs^  and, 
if  convenient,  add  a  little  minced  chicken.  It  is 
equally  good  without.  Beat  an  egg,  add  a  little  milk, 
season,  and  ponr  the  mixture  into  the  cup  over  the 
crumbs.  Bake  in  the  oven  in  a  pan  of  hot  water  for 
but  a  few  minutes,  as  eggs  must  be  lightly  cooked  to 
be  digestible. 

POACHED   EGGS. 

To  poach  eggs  for  the  nursery,  drop  them  in  steam- 
ing water  that  has  just  stopped  boiling,  having  added 
sufficient  salt  to  taste  before  putting  the  water  on  to 
boil.  Set  the  water  containing  the  eggs  back  upon  the 
stove.  From  five  to  eight  minutes  will  cook  them 
sufficiently.  Eggs  poached  in  this  way  and  served  on 
toast  are  further  improved  by  the  addition  of  chicken 
broth  slightly  thickened. 

CEREALS. 

Malted   Gruel.     (Adapted  from  Thompson.) 

Gruel  should  be  well  boiled  and  kept  free  from 
lumps,  using  a  strainer  if  necessary.  When  cool 
enough  to  sw^allow,  add  a  tablespoonful  of  malt  extract 
to  a  pint  of  gruel.  In  a  few  minutes  the  gruel  will 
become  thin  from  the  conversion  of  the  starch  into 
maltose.  All  farinaceous  foods  can  be  treated  in  this 
way. 


RECIPES.  207 

Oatmeal  Gruel. 

Four  tablespoonfuls  of  rolled  oats,  one-half  tea- 
spoonful  of  salt,  one  teaspoonful  of  sugar  (if  directed  by 
the  physician),  two  cupfuls  of  boiling  water,  two  cup- 
fuls  of  hot  milk  (or  four  cupfuls  of  water  and  no  milk). 
Pour  the  boiling  water  on  the  oatmeal,  salt,  and  sugar, 
if  used,  aud  cook  in  a  double  boiler  for  three  hours,  or 
cook  in  an  agate  saucepan  for  one  hour,  stirring  fre- 
quently, if  a  saucepan  is  used,  and  adding  water  to 
keep  to  the  original  quantity.  Strain  to  remove  the 
hulls,  and  add  the  hot  milk,  bringing  all  to  the  boiling- 
point.  If  no  milk  is  used,  add  all  the  water  in  the 
beginning. 

Two  tablespoonfuls  of  oatmeal  and  two  of  Graham 
flour,  with  salt,  a  pint  of  water,  and  a  quart  of  milk, 
make  a  pleasant  change  in  gruels.  Cook  the  water, 
salt,  and  meal  for  one  hour  in  a  double  boiler  or 
steamer ;  then  add  a  quart  of  milk  and  scald  or  steam, 
according  to  the  vessel  used,  for  a  few  minutes  only. 
Strain  and  keep  cool. 

If  gruels  are  to  be  malted  they  need  not  be  cooked 
so  long  as  for  ordinary  use.  One  hour  in  a  double 
boiler,  or  half  an  hour  in  a  saucepan,  is  sufficient. 

Barley  Gh^uel  may  be  made  in  the  same  way  as  oat- 
meal gruel,  using  barley  that  has  been  ground  fine  in 
a  coffee-mill. 

Farina  Gruel  is  made  in  the  proportion  of  two 
tablespoonfuls  of  farina  to  two  cupfuls  of  water  and 
two  of  milk,  with  salt  to  season ;  but  it  does  not  need 
long  cooking,  as  it  is  partly  prepared.  Half  an  hour 
is  enough  for  the  whole  process. 


208  SOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

'  Arrowroot  Gruel. — One  tablespoonfnl  of  arrowroot, 
one-half  teaspoonfnl  of  salt,  one  cupful  of  milk. 
Wet  the  arrowroot  with  a  little  cold  water,  add  a 
cupful  of  boiling  water,  and  boil  ten  minutes ;  then 
add  the  milk  and  bring  again  to  the  boiling-point. 
Strain  and  keep  cool. 

Oatmeal  Porridge. 

Three  tablespoonfuls  of  rolled,  ground,  or  crushed 
oats,  one  pint  of  boiling  water,  one-quarter  teaspoon- 
fnl of  salt.  Steam  for  two  hours  or  longer  in  a  double 
boiler  or  ^^  Nursery  Cooker,"  which  is  desirable  for  all 
preparations  of  cereals,  and  is  especially  designed  for 
nursery  cooking.  The  vessels  in  the  ^'  Cooker"  are 
porcelain-lined,  which  is  a  great  advantage. 

Oatmeal  porridge  is  very  appetizing  when  served 
cold  in  mould  shapes,  and  it  will  frequently  be  eaten 
in  this  way  when  it  would  be  refused  if  served  in  any 
other  form.  Variations  may  be  made  by  using  farina, 
cracked  wheat,  browned  rice  (browned  in  the  oven 
before  steaming  and  moulding),  hominy,  arrowroot, 
etc.,  giving  further  change  for  older  children  by 
serving  occasionally  with  fruit  juice  instead  of  cream 
or  milk. 

Wheat  Porridge  requires  two  tablespoonfuls  of  wheat 
to  a  pint  of  salted  water,  and  it  should  be  thoroughly 
boiled  or  steamed  in  a  double  boiler  or  a  "  Cooker,"  two 
hours  being  the  shortest  time  to  be  allowed  for  the 
cookiug  of  any  porridge. 

Hominy  requires  the  same  proportions,  and  should 
be  cooked  for  the  same  length  of  time. 

Cornmeal  Ifush  (to  be  used  warm  or  moulded,  for 


RECIPES.  209 

supper  or  breakfast,  with  milk  or  a  little  good  syrup) 
should  be  cooked  very  carefully  m  a  double  boiler  or 
steamer  for  the  time  giveu  for  the  cooking  of  all  cereal 
porridges,  and  it  should  be  free  from  lumps  when  done. 
A  very  good  plan  to  follow  when  cooking  cornmeal 
or  bran  mush  is  to  sprinkle  the  meal  into  a  saucepan 
of  boiling  water  from  a  fine  sifter,  stirring  all  the 
time,  before  putting  it  into  the  steamer,  as  freedom 
from  lum])s  depends  upon  the  even  admixture  of  the 
water  and  the  meal. 

Farina  Porridge  requires  three  tablespoonfuls  of 
farina  to  a  pint  of  hot  salted  water,  and  it  should  be 
cooked  at  least  an  hour  in  the  steamer  or  double  boiler. 

Oat  Jelly,     (Rotch.) 

Four  ounces  of  coarse  oatmeal  are  allowed  to  soak 
in  a  quart  of  cold  water  for  twelve  hours.  The  mix- 
ture is  then  boiled  down  so  as  to  make  a  pint,  and  is 
strained  through  a  fine  cloth  while  it  is  hot.  When  it 
cools  a  jelly  is  formed,  which  is  to  be  kept  on  ice 
until  needed.  Different  proportions  of  this  jelly  can 
be  used,  but  usually  it  is  best  to  begin  with  equal  parts 
of  jelly  and  cow's  milk.  When  needed,  this  mixture 
is  warmed  and  a  little  salt  is  added. 

CREAM   MUFFINS. 

To  make  one  dozen,  beat  up  one  egg  very  light; 
mix  it  with  four  tablespoonfuls  of  rich  sweet  cream, 
a  little  salt,  and  a  scant  half-cupful  of  milk.  Sift  in 
slowly  one  and  a  quarter  cupfuls  of  whole-meal  flour 
and  two  teaspoonfuls  of  a  well-selected  baking-powder, 
o  18* 


210  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

Bake  in  a  very  quick  oven  (about  fifteen  minutes 
should  suffice),  putting  very  little  batter  into  each 
muffin-pan,  that  the  muffins  may  puff  up  and  be 
nearly  all  crust,  as  they  should  undoubtedly  be  for 
nursery  use. 

Graham  and  Cornmeal  Muffins  may  be  made  in  the 
same  way,  using  Graham  or  corn  flour  in  the  place  of 
whole-meal  flour. 

Cornmeal  Muffins  are  delicious  when  made  with 
half  cornmeal  and  half  hominy  (breakfast  hominy, 
well  cooked).  Stir  a  teaspoonful  of  sweet  butter  into 
three-quarters  of  a  cup  of  hot  hominy ;  add  the  e^, 
salt,  cream,  and  milk ;  then  stir  in  three-quarters  of  a 
cupful  of  corn  flour  and  the  baking-powder,  and  bake 
as  directed  above,  remembering  to  keep  the  mixture 
of  a  consistency  to  pour  easily,  as  in  this  way  the 
muffins  will  be  light  and  crusty  instead  of  heavy  and 
indigestible. 

APPLE  BREAD. 

A  very  light,  wholesome,  and  palatable  bread  is  made 
of  apple-pulp  and  flour.  The  apples  are  pared,  boiled, 
and  beaten  to  a  pulp.  The  usual  quantity  of  yeast  is 
employed  as  in  making  ordinary  bread,  and  is  beaten 
with  flour  and  the  warm  apple-pulp.  It  is  allowed  to 
rise,  and  in  fact  the  process  is  the  same  as  usual.  Very 
little  water  is  requisite.  This  bread  is  highly  relished 
by  children.     {Household,  of  Boston.) 

MAPLE   MOLASSES  GINGERBREAD. 

One  cupful  of  boiling  water,  a  piece  of  butter  the 
size  of  an  egg,  one  cupful  of  maple  molasses,  one-half 


RECIPES.  211 

teaspoonful  of  soda,  one-half  teaspoonful  of  ginger, 
two  cupfuls  of  flour.  Common  molasses  may  be  sul)- 
stitiited  for  the  maple  molasses,  but  the  flavor  will  not 
be  the  same.     {Household.) 

A   WHOLESOME   SPONGE-CAKE. 

First  sift  the  flour  and  sugar.  Whisk  the  whites  of 
the  eggs  stifl".  Beat  the  yoll^s  of  the  eggs  very  light  in 
a  large  bowl,  then  stir  in  very  gradually  the  sugar  and 
a  tablespoonful  of  milk ;  add  the  whites,  blending  all 
well  before  gently  stirring  in  the  flour  and  a  heaping 
teaspoonful  of  baking-powder.  Bake  iu  a  well-but- 
tered mould  for  one  hour  in  a  moderately  quick  oven. 
The  proportions  for  a  small  cake  are  three  eggs,  one 
and  a  half  cupfuls  of  flour,  and  one  cup  of  pulverized 
sugar.     The  batter  should  pour  easily. 

EICE   PUDDING   WITH   EGGS. 

As  eggs  should  be  cooked  lightly  to  be  digestible, 
they  should  not  be  added  to  farinaceous  or  milk  pud- 
dings when  first  mixing,  as  is  the  usual  custom.  For 
rice  pudding  steam  the  rice  tender  in  milk,  using  four 
teaspoonfuls  of  rice  to  a  pint  of  milk  ;  allow  it  to  cool 
for  a  few  minutes  before  stirring  in  two  well-beaten 
eggs,  which  should  not  curdle,  but  should  be  partly 
cooked  by  the  hot  rice.  Sweeten  to  tavSte,  and  add 
vanilla,  lemon,  or  any  flavor  desired.  Grated  nutmeg 
is  very  nice.  Brown  lightly  and  very  quickly  in  a  very 
hot  oven.  The  above  may  be  varied  by  pressing  the 
rice  through  a  puree  sieve  when  hot.  Add  the  eggs 
and  flavoring,  omit  browning,  and  steam  the  whole 
mixture  for  only  a  few  minutes  in  a  double  boiler. 


212  sow  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

The  yolks  also  may  be  omitted  if  a  white  pudding  is 
desired,  using  four  whites  in  place  of  two  whole  eggs. 
This  need  not  be  steamed  after  mixing  if  the  whites 
have  been  beaten  stiflF. 

EICE   PUDDING   WITHOUT   EGGS. 

Put  two  tablespoonfuls  of  rice  into  two  cupfuls  of 
sweetened  and  flavored  milk,  and  set  it  in  a  moderately 
hot  oven.  Stir  every  fifteen  minutes  at  first,  and  every 
half-hour  while  the  top  forms.  Any  good  cook  under- 
stands the  process,  which,  if  carefully  followed  for  two 
hours,  produces  a  creamy,  slightly  brown  pudding  that 
is  invariably  relished  by  children.  A  few  raisins  may 
sometimes  be  added  for  children  over  five  years  old. 

SNOW  PUDDING.     (Bumet.) 

Put  into  half  a  pint  of  cold  water  half  a  package  of 
gelatin ;  let  it  stand  one  hour ;  then  add  one  pint  of 
boiling  water,  half  a  pound  of  sugar,  and  the  juice  of 
two  lemons.  Stir  and  strain,  and  let  it  stand,  covered, 
in  a  cool  place  all  night.  Beat  the  whites  of  two  eggs 
very  stiff,  and  then  beat  them  well  into  the  mixture. 
Pour  into  a  mould. 

BREAD    PUDDING. 

Soak  one  pint  of  fine  bread  crumbs  in  a  pint  of  milk 
until  soft,  add  three  tablespoonfuls  of  cocoa  dissolved 
in  a  little  water  or  a  dessertspoonful  of  vanilla  for 
flavoring,  three  w^ell-beaten  eggs,  a  cupful  of  granulated 
sugar,  and  another  pint  of  milk.  Either  plain  or 
whipped  cream  is  very  good  with  this  pudding. 


RECIPES.  213 

BROWN   BETTY. 

Alternate  layers  of  sliced  apples  and  dry  bread 
crumbs,  just  enough  crnmbs  to  cover  the  apples.  Add 
bits  of  butter,  sugar,  and  ground  cinnamon.  Do  this 
until  the  pudding  dish  is  full,  having  bread  on  the  top. 
Pour  half  a  cup  of  molasses  or  milk  and  half  a  cup 
of  water  over  the  whole,  set  the  dish  in  a  pan  of  boiling 
water,  and  bake  in  a  moderately  hot  oven  for  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour.     Serve  with  cream. 


FRUIT  TAPIOCA  PUDDING. 

Boil  one-half  cupful  of  pearl  tapioca  in  one  quart  of 
boiling  water  until  soft  and  transparent.  Add  one-half 
teaspoonful  of  salt  and  one-half  cupful  of  sugar  ;  pare 
and  core  three  tart  apples,  or  three  pears,  and  fill  the 
centres  with  sugar  and  a  little  cinnamon  or  cloves ;  put 
in  a  baking  dish,  pour  the  tapioca  around  them,  and 
bake  until  the  fruit  is  tender.  Serve  hot  or  cold  with 
cream. 

STRAWBERRY   CUSTARD. 

Make  a  boiled  custard  with  the  yolks  of  five  eggs, 
one  quart  of  milk,  one-half  cupful  of  sugar,  and  one- 
half  teaspoonful  of  vanilla.  Crush  and  strain  one 
pint  of  berries,  and  mix  with  them  one-half  cupful  of 
powdered  sugar.  Gradually  beat  this  into  the  well- 
beaten  whites  of  four  eggs.  If  the  fruit  is  very  acid, 
more  sugar  will  be  required.  Serve  the  custard  in 
small  glass  cups,  and  pile  the  strawberry  float  on  top. 
{Household.) 


214  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

EASPBEEEY   BLANC-MANGE. 

Any  blanc-mange  may  be  made  with  fruit  juice 
according  to  the  following  directions  : 

Into  a  pint  of  boiling  fresh  milk  stir  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  corn  starch  made  smooth  in  a  little  cold 
milk.  While  thickening,  add  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
sugar  and  one-half  cupful  of  raspberry  juice,  and  turn 
into  a  double  boiler,  where  it  should  be  steamed  for 
half  an  hour.  Place  in  moulds  (tiny  cups  are  desirable 
for  nursery  use),  cool,  and  serve  with  sweet  cream. 

CHERRY   JELLY. 

Use  one  pint  of  cherry  juice  instead  of  cold  water 
to  soak  the  required  amount  of  gelatin ;  add  the  juice 
of  two  lemons,  two  cups  of  sugar,  and  three  cups  of 
boiling  water.  Some  may  prefer  a  trifle  more  sugar. 
Sweeten  to  taste,  and  seal  in  jars  or  tumblers. 

RHUBARB   AND    ORANGE   JAM. 

Allow  one  quart  of  finely  cut  rhubarb,  six  Valencia 
oranges,  and  the  same  weight  of  sugar  as  of  fruit. 
Peel  the  oranges,  remove  as  much  of  the  white  pith  as 
possible,  divide  them,  and  take  out  the  pips.  Put  the 
pulp,  half  the  rinds,  and  the  rhubarb,  peeled  and  cut 
up,  into  the  scales,  weigh,  and  allow  the  same  quantity 
of  sugar  as  of  fruit.  Then  put  all  into  the  preserving 
kettle,  bring  to  a  boil,  skim,  and  simmer  for  an  hour, 
or  until  done. 

DATES   AND   CREAM. 

Hemove  the  stones  from  dates,  then  cut  them  rather 
fine,  and  put  them  in  a  glass  dish ;  cover  them  with 


RECIPES.  215 

whipped  cream,  and  stand  aside  in  a  cold  place  for 
thirty  minutes  before  serving.  You  will  have  a  dainty 
and  wholesome  dessert  that  can  be  eaten  by  the  chil- 
dren of  the  family. 

Dates  and  figs  may  be  washed,  soaked  overnight, 
and  stewed  slowly,  adding  a  little  lemon  juice  if  liked. 

JELLIED   APPLES. 

Pare  and  slice  thin  a  dozen  or  more  tart  apples. 
Place  in  a  pudding  dish  alternate  layers  of  apple  and 
brown  sugar,  and  a  sprinkling  of  cinnamon,  and  when 
the  dish  has  been  filled  in  this  way,  pour  over  it  one- 
half  cup  of  water.  Lay  a  buttered  plate  over  the  top, 
and  cook  slowly  for  three  hours.  Set  in  a  cold  place, 
and  when  ready  turn  out  into  a  glass  dish.  Whip  half 
a  pint  of  cream  and  pile  it  up  around  the  jellied  apple. 

APPLE  SNOW.     (Adapted  from  Davies.) 

Reduce  two  apples  to  pulp,  press  this  through  a 
sieve,  sweeten,  and  flavor.  Have  ready  the  whites  of 
two  eggs,  beaten  stiff.  Beat  the  apple-pulp  to  a  froth, 
and  whisk  the  two  together  until  they  look  like  stiff 
snow. 

RHUBARB   JELLY. 

To  be  made  in  May.  Wash  the  stalks,  and  cut 
without  peeling ;  cover  with  cold  water  and  simmer 
until  soft.  Then  proceed  in  the  usual  manner,  letting 
the  juice  drip  through  a  jelly-bag ;  do  not  squeeze.  Use 
one  pound  of  sugar  (granulated)  to  a  pint  of  juice,  and 
boil  fifteen  minutes.  Heat  the  sugar  in  the  oven,  stir- 
ring frequently ;  add  it  at  the  end  of  the  fifteen  min- 


216  BOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

utes'  boiling,  and  stir  until  it  comes  to  a  boil.  Strain 
through  cheese-cloth,  pour  into  jelly-tumblers,  and 
cover  with  melted  paraffin,  a  second  layer  after  the 
first  has  cooled. 

RHUBARB  MOULD.     (Davies.) 

One  quart  of  red  rhubarb  cut  in  pieces,  put  into  a 
covered  saucepan.  Let  it  boil  until  it  is  a  pulp  ;  soak 
half  an  ounce  of  gelatin  in  cold  water,  pour  just  enough 
boiling  water  over  it  to  dissolve  it ;  add  to  it  the  rhu- 
barb, with  sugar  to  sweeten ;  let  it  boil  fifteen  minutes  ; 
add  a  few  drops  of  essence  of  lemon.  Butter  a  mould 
and  pour  in  the  rhubarb.  Next  day  dip  the  mould  in 
hot  water,  and  turn  out  on  a  glass  dish. 

RHUBARB   JAM. 

Rhubarb  jam  is  desirable  for  nursery  use,  and  may 
be  made  in  the  proj^ortion  of  a  pound  of  sugar  to  a 
pound  and  a  quarter  of  rhubarb,  adding  a  little  lemon 
peel.     Boil  one  hour  after  the  sugar  has  dissolved. 

ORANGE   JELLY. 

Dissolve  three-fourths  of  a  box  of  gelatin  in  one  and 
one-half  pints  of  water ;  add  one-half  pint  of  orange 
juice,  sugar  to  sweeten,  and  the  juice  of  one  lemon. 
Boil,  strain,  and  cool,  and  keep  covered  until  used. 

SAGO   JELLY. 

Soak  one  cup  of  sago  overnight  in  one  pint  of  cold 
water.  In  the  morning  add  one  pint  of  boiling  water. 
Boil  in  a  double  boiler  one  hour ;  add  one  teaspoonful 


RECIPES.  217 

of  salt,  one  cup  of  sugar,  and  one  teaspoonful  of  lemon 
juice.     {Trained  Nurse.) 

PRUNE   JELLY. 

Cover  one  pound  of  prunes  with  one  quart  of  water ; 
cook  slowly.  Add  sugar  to  sweeten,  and  one-half  box 
of  gelatin  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  water  and  boiled. 
Strain,  cool,  and  keep  covered. 

CLARIFIED  APPLES. 

Prepare  the  apples  as  for  sauce,  in  even-sized  pieces, 
and  simmer  until  tender  in  the  boiling  sugar  and  water, 
turning  the  pieces  once,  using  a  flat  agate  saucepan,  from 
which  it  is  easy  to  remove  the  pieces  of  apple  without 
breaking  them  as  they  become  tender.  Use  a  pint  of 
sugar  to  a  quart  of  water  for  the  syrup.  Cook  the 
syrup  for  ten  minutes  after  the  apples  have  been  taken 
out,  then  pour  it  over  them,  sprinkle  with  cinnamon, 
and  let  them  cool  in  the  syrup.  Orange  or  lemon 
juice  may  be  used  for  flavoring, 

APPLE  WATER. 

Mash  two  large  tart  apples  that  have  been  sprinkled 
with  sugar  and  baked  tender  and  slightly  brown,  and 
pour  over  them  a  pint  of  boiling  Avater ;  let  stand  cov- 
ered in  a  cool  place  for  an  hour  or  two,  strain,  and  use. 

IRISH   MOSS   TEA. 

Take  a  handful  of  Irish  moss  that  has  been  washed 

and  drained  ;  pour  cold  water  over  it,  and  let  it  simmer 

on  the  back  of  the  stove  until  it  is  dissolved ;  then  strain 

and  mix  with  lemon  juice  and  sugar.     This  is  said  to 

K  19 


218  HOW  TO   FEED   CHILDREN. 

be  excellent  in  rheumatic  affections.  If  one  is  troubled 
with  a  dry,  hacking  cough  at  night,  it  will  often  give 
relief  if  kept  near  the  bedside  and  frequently  sipped. 

FRUIT   SAUCE. 

Mash  a  quart  of  ripe  fruit ;  beat  it,  sift  a  cupful  of 
sugar  over  it,  and  set  away ;  if  the  fruit  is  very  sweet,  less 
sugar  will  be  required.  About  ten  minutes  before  the 
sauce  is  needed,  set  it  over  the  fire  and  stir  constantly ; 
when  heated  nearly  to  boiling,  turn  it  about  the  base  of 
the  pudding,  which  has  been  placed  in  a  deep  platter. 
If  the  pudding  boiler  has  a  tube  in  the  centre,  as  it 
usually  has,  there  is,  of  course,  a  hole  in  the  centre  of 
the  pudding,  and  this  may  be  filled  with  the  fruit 
sauce,  which  is,  by  the  way,  as  attractive  in  apj)earance 
as  it  is  delicious  in  taste. 

MAESHMALLOW   DROPS. 

This  is  a  confection  greatly  relished  by  many,  health- 
ful and  unobjectionable.  It  can  be  made  quite  con- 
veniently at  home ;  if  the  best  of  materials  are  used 
and  care  is  exercised,  the  product,  will  be  fully  equal  to 
any  that  the  market  affords,  and  it  can  be  made  at  any 
time  and  in  any  quantity  to  suit  the  occasion.  Few 
people  have  an  idea  of  the  ingredients  used  or  of  the 
manneV  of  their  use,  but  here  is  the  whole  secret :  A 
half  pound  of  gum  arable  is  to  be  dissolved  in  a  pint 
of  watei  ;  strain  the  solution,  to  remove  any  specks  or 
organic  matter  contained  in  the  gum,  then  add  one- 
half  pound  of  wdiite  sugar;  place  the  whole  over  a 
moderate  fire,  and  stir  continually  until  the  sugar  is 
dissolved  and  a  honey-like  consistency  is  reached ;  then 


RECIPES.  219 

add,  little  by  little,  the  whites  of  four  eggs,  thoroughly 
beaten^  and  stir  the  mixture  till  it  becoraes  thin  and 
will  no  longer  adhere  to  the  finger.  The  marshmallow 
factor  is  added  by  flavoring  with  as  much  tincture  of 
marshmallow  as  may  be  desired.  The  compound  is 
then  poured  into  a  tin  or  earthen  vessel  which  has 
been  lightly  covered  with  powdered  starch  ;  when  cool, 
it  is  cut  into  squares,  which  are  also  dusted  witli  the 
starch,  and  the  process  is  completed.  (Good  House- 
keeping.) 

ORANGE   SYEUP. 

Squeeze  the  juice  of  thin-skinned  oranges  through 
a  sieve,  and  to  every  pint  add  one  and  one-half  pounds 
of  powdered  sugar  and  the  juice  of  one  lemon.  Boil 
the  syrup  fifteen  minutes,  and  skim  as  long  as  any 
scum  rises.  Strain  it,  bottle,  and  seal  up  tight,  and 
it  will  keep  a  long  time.  Added  to  a  glass  of  water 
it  makes  a  delicious  drink  for  an  invalid. 

LIME    WATER. 

Lime  water  is  easily  made  at  home  for  nursery  use 
by  putting  a  piece  of  unslaked  lime  the  size  of  a  walnut 
into  two  quarts  of  filtered  water  in  an  earthen  vessel, 
and  stirring  thoroughly ;  allow  the  mixture  to  settle, 
and  pour  oif  the  clear  solution  as  required  for  use,  re- 
placing the  water  and  stirring  up  as  consumed.     (Yeo.) 

RICE   WATER. 

This  is  a  useful  drink  in  dysentery,  diarrhoea,  etc. 
Wash  well  one  ounce  of  rice  in  cold  water,  then 
soak  for  three  hours  in  a  quart  of  water  kept  at  a 


220  jb:ow  to  feed  children: 

tepid  heat,  and  afterwards  boil  slowly  for  an  honr  and 
strain.  It  may  be  flavored  wdth  lemon  peel,  cloves,  or 
other  spice.     (Pavey.) 

EICE   MILK. 

Soak  one  onnce  of  rice  for  twelve  hours,  wash  it 
qnite  clean,  and  drain  it.  Add  the  soaked  rice  to  a 
pint  of  boiling  milk,  with  half  a  teaspoonful  of  salt 
and  sugar.  Stir  well  and  cook  slowly  for  one  honr. 
Rub  through  a  hair  sieve.  Sago  or  tapioca  may  be 
substituted  for  rice.     (Yeo.) 

BREAD    JELLY. 

Take  four  ounces  of  bread  crumbs  two  or  three  days 
old,  soak  in  cold  wateT  for  six  or  eight  hours,  then 
squeeze  all  the  water  out  of  it  (lactic  acid  and  other 
peccant  matters  are  thus  removed).  Place  the  pulp  in 
fresh  water,  and  boil  gently  for  an  hour  and  a  half 
to  break  up  the  granules  of  starch  and  promote  its 
conversion  into  dextrin  and  glucose.  Rub  this  semi- 
fluid gruel  through  a  fine  hair  sieve ;  when  cold  it  forms 
a  smooth  jelly.     It  will  not  keep  long.     (Yeo.) 

MULLED   EGG. 

To  be  used  in  diseases  in  which  the  symptom  of 
cough  shows  a  certain  degree  of  persistence.  It  is 
simply  an  emulsion  of  the  yolk  of  egg  in  warm  water, 
sweetened  and  seasoned  to  taste.  It  is  prepared,  as  is 
well  known,  by  mixing  powdered  sugar,  the  yolk  of 
an  egg,  and  a  coffeespoonful  of  orange-flower  water, 
adding  boiling  water  gradually  while  stirring  the  mix- 
ture.    (Fonssagrives.) 


RECIPES.  221 


KOUMYSS. 


With  a  little  attention  to  some  important  details, 
koumyss  may  be  readily  made  by  any  one,  the  sole  in- 
gredients requisite  being  milk,  sugar,  and  yeast.  A 
clean  quart  bottle  is  filled  three-fourths  full  of  per- 
fectly fresh  milk,  and  to  this  is  added  a  tablespoonful 
of  fresh  brewer's  yeast,  or  one-fourth  of  a  cake  of 
compressed  yeast,  and  a  tablespoonful  of  white  sugar. 
The  bottle  is  thoroughly  shaken,  and  then  filled  with 
milk  to  within  two  or  three  inches  of  the  top,  and  again 
shaken.  It  is  then  tightly  corked  with  a  cork  that  has 
been  softened  by  soaking  in  hot  water,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose a  corking  machine  should  be  employed.  When 
the  cork  is  driven  home  it  is  properly  tied  down. 
The  bottles  are  now  placed  in  an  upright  position  in 
a  cold  place,  at  or  near  the  temperature  of  52°  F., 
where  they  should  remain  two  or  three  days.  They 
are  then  put  on  their  sides  in  a  cool  cellar  or  refriger- 
ator. Koumyss  is  at  its  best  probably  when  five  or  six 
days  old,  but  can  be  kept  indefinitely  at  a  temperature 
not  exceeding  52°  F.     (Frederick  P.  Henry,  M.D.) 

WINE    WHEY. 

Boil  a  quart  of  milk,  add  to  it  half  a  pint  of  wine ; 
put  on  the  fire  till  it  boils  again,  then  set  aside  till  the 
curd  settles ;  pour  oft'  the  whey  and  sweeten  to  taste. 
It  is  said  that  good  country  cider  is  as  nice  as  the  wine. 

( Trained  Nurse. ) 

BARLEY   WATER   WITH    WHITE   OF    EGG. 

Take  a  tablespoonful  of  coarse  barley  and  w^ash  well 
with  cold  water,  rejecting  the  washings.    Then  boil  for 

19* 


222  HOW  TO  FEED   CHILDREN. 

an  hour  or  more  with  a  pint  and  a  half  of  clean  water, 
in  a  covered  vessel  or  saucepan.  Add  a  pinch  of  salt 
and  enough  sugar  to  render  j^alatable^  and  strain.  To 
four  or  six  ounces  of  barley  water  thus  prepared  add 
the  white  of  one  egg. 

The  value  of  this  preparation  in  gastro-intestinal 
inflammation  and  irritation  is  not  easily  overestimated. 
In  the  enterocolitis  (inflammation  of  the  small  intes- 
tine and  the  colon)  of  very  young  infants  its  exclusive 
administration  for  thirty-six  or  forty-eight  hours  will 
often  relieve  when  all  other  measures  have  failed.  (J. 
Hobart  Egbert,  M.D.) 


INDEX. 


Abstinence  from  food,  180. 
Acidity  caused  by  sweets,  114. 
Acids  for  constipation,  108. 

in  fruits,  97. 
Adams,  Dr.,  on  naps,  162. 
Adhesive  breads,  62. 
Alcohol  wholly  forbidden,  199. 
Ansemia,  dietaries  for,  186. 

faulty  diet  a  cause  of,  192. 

grape  juice  useful  in,  103. 
Analysis  of  mother's  milk,  23. 
Antidotes  for  poison,  188. 
Antiscorbutic,  cranberries  an,  101. 
Aperient,  dates  an,  101. 
Appetite,   capricious,  dffficulty  of 
catering  to,  113,  151. 

dainty  serving   invites,  122. 

salt  stimulates  the,  when  deli- 
cate, 85. 
Appetizer,  beets  an,  92. 
Apple  bread,  210. 

jelly,  105,  215. 

sauce,  when  to  use,  93. 

snow,  215. 

water,  217. 
Apples,  clarified,  217. 

for  breakfast,  148. 

for  dessert,  115. 

for  two-year-olds,  99. 

how  to  bake,  115. 

raw  scraped,  100. 

stewed,  100. 

with  concentrated  diet,  100. 
Arrowroot  gruel,  208. 
Artificial  foods,  35. 


Asparagus  a  diuretic ;  strongly  rec- 
ommended ;   how  to  serve,  92. 
Assimilation  :  if  certain  foods  dis- 
agree, wait  for  second  teeth, 
97. 
of  beans,  91.  . 

of  peas,  91. 
Astringent,  cranberries  an,  101. 
Atwater,   Dr.,  on   constituents  of 
foods,  178. 
on  food  energy,  63. 

Bacilli,  36. 

Bacteria  killed  by  heat,  45. 
Baked  apples,  115. 
potatoes,  124. 
Bananas,  value  and  danger  of,  101. 
Barley  broth,  73. 
gruel,  207. 
water,  221. 
Bauer,  Dr,  on  heat-giving  proper- 
ties of  fat,  142. 
Beans,  when  and  how  to  use ;  care 
as  to  assimilation ;  take  the  place 
of  meat,  91. 
Beef  broth,  70. 
cakes,  77. 
essence,  201. 
gravy,  204. 
juice,  201. 
scraped,  77. 
tea,  201. 
Beets  a  valuable  appetizer  ,•  contain 
sugar;  how  to  prepare j  when  to 
give,  92. 

223 


224 


INDEX. 


Benzoinol  for  catarrhal  colds,  135. 
Blackbei'ry  jelly,  104. 

juice  as  a  drink,  100. 
Blanc-mange,  different  ingredients 
of,  126. 
raspberry,  214. 
with  fruit  juice,  105. 
Blood,  fruits  cool  the,  97. 
Boiling,  rapid,  77. 
meats,  74. 

degrees  of  heat   required 

for,  78. 
length   of    time   required 
for,  78. 
Bones,  formation  of  the,  76. 
Bottles,  the  "  Hygeia,"  how  to  clean, 

49. 
Bowel  complaint,  sudden,  136. 
Bowels,  action  of  the,  179. 
Brain,    nourishment    of    the,    by 

fruit,  97. 
Bread,  adhesive,  62. 
apple,  210. 
home-made,  59. 
hot,  60. 

how  to  keep,  60. 
jelly,  105,  215,  220. 
judgment  to  be  used  in   case 

of  refusal  of,  159. 
pudding,  212. 
recipe  for  making,  61. 
Breakfast,  a  sample  diet  for,  196. 
for  midsummer,  124. 
for  second  teething,  174. 
for  summer,  122,  172. 
for  winter,  174. 

when  to  use  raw  or  baked  fruit 
at,  100,  148. 
Breast-pump,  26. 

Broiling,  how  to  prepare  fire  for, 
76. 
of  fish,  83. 
of  meat,  74. 


Broiling  of  thin  steak,  76. 
on  solid  pan,  77. 
the  art  of,  76. 
Bronchitis,  liberal  diet  in,  light  and 

nourishing,  186. 
Broth  for  nursery,  67. 

for  three-year-olds,  71. 
recipes : 

barley,  73 

beef,  70. 

how  to  thicken   chicken, 

72. 
veal,      mutton,     chicken, 
oyster,  etc.,  202. 
skimming  of,  67,  73,  154. 
vessels  to  use  in  making,  69. 
with  vegetable  waters,  71. 
Brown  Betty,  213. 
Bruen,  Dr.,  on  bowel  action,  179. 
Brussels  sprouts  for  children  over 
six  years  old,  93. 
how  to  serve,  93. 
Burnet,  Dr.,  on  fats  for  the  nervous, 
142. 
on  foods  in  illness,  185. 
recipe   of,  for   snow   pudding, 
212,  215. 
mentioned,  123. 
Butter,  cold,  on  bread,  76,  144. 
in  cream  sauce,  76. 
never  to  be  melted  on  meat, 
etc.,  76. 

Cake,  146. 

beef,  77. 

sponge,  211. 
Candy,  146. 

deplorable  results  of  the  abuse 
of,  131. 
Capricious  appetite,  113,  151 
Carbohydrates,  11,  177. 
Carrots,   preparation   of,   for    fire- 
year-olds,  90. 


INDEX. 


225 


Castor  oil,  to  be  used  carefully ;  only 
to   be  given  by  doctor's  advice, 
106. 
Catarrh,  135. 

grape  juice  useful  in,  103. 
of  stomach,  111. 
Cauliflower,    how   to   prepare    and 
serve,   for   children    over    three 
years  old,  90. 
Celery,  stewed,  for  nursery;  when 
to  give  raw ;  cellulose  covering  of, 
harmful ;  how  to  stew  and  serve, 
89. 

{See  Vegetable  Waters.) 
Cellulose  harmful,  89. 
Centrifugal  cream,  145. 
Cereals,  39,  53,  206. 
Chafing,  134. 
Chalk  mixture,  135. 
Chapin,  Dr.,  on  acquired  diseases, 

36. 
Cherries,  100. 

beef  broth  or  cocoa  to  be  given 
with,  124. 
Cherry  jelly,  105,  214. 
Chest  cold,  134. 
Chicken  broth,  72,  202. 
custard,  202. 
milk,  72. 

roast  white  meat  of,  84. 
Childhood,  160. 

combining  foods  for,  16. 
Chlorosis,  faulty  diet  a  cause  of,  192. 
Cholera  infantum,  106,  119. 
Cider  whey,  221. 
Clam  broth,  203. 
Clarified  apples,  217. 
Cocoa,  21. 
Cod-liver  oil,  143. 
Colds,  catarrhal,  135. 

head  and  chest,  134. 
Colic,  excess  of  proteids  in  mother's 
milk  a  cause  of,  23. 


Colic,  mother's  failure  to  exercise  a 
cause  of,  22. 
too  frequent  nursing  produces, 
25. 
Combining  foods,  method  of,  16. 
Complete  foods,  177. 
Concentrated    diet     corrected     by 

scraped  apple,  100,  108. 
Condensed  milk  lacks  fat,  32. 
Constipation,  causes  of,  107,  108. 
corrected  by  acids  and  salts, 
108. 
by  adhesive  breads,  62, 
by  fruit,  97. 
by  water,  109. 
{See  Laxatives.) 
lack  of  fat  produces,  32. 
of  girls,  192. 
Constituents  of  foods,  178. 
Consumptives,  186. 
Contagion    carried    by    unwashed 

fruits,  103. 
Convalescence,  grape  juice  useful 

in,  103. 
Convalescent  children,  diastase  for, 
67. 
diet  suitable  for,  185. 
Convulsions  from  "  teething,"  13. 
Cool    drink,   boiled   water  on   ice 
recommended,  139. 
weather,  146. 
Corn  always  to  be  used  as  a  puree 
or  boiled   on  cob  for  three- 
year-olds;    how  to  prepare, 
93. 
omelet  for  dinner,  127. 
to   be   grated   in   pudding   or 
omelet     for    children    over 
three  years  old,  94. 
Cornmeal,  60,  148. 

mush,  208. 
Corn     starch     with     fruit    juices, 
105. 


226 


INDEX. 


Cow's  milk  necessary  for  substitute 

feeding,  33. 
Crackers,  danger  of  certain  kinds 

of,  65. 
Cranberries,  as  a  sauce  or  a  drink, 
astringent     and     antiscorbutic, 
101. 
Cream  a  desirable  fat  for  infants, 
144, 
centrifugal,  145. 
muffins,  209. 
sauce,  76. 

top  milk  supplies,  136. 
whipped  with  fruit  juice,  105. 
with  dates,  214. 
Currant  jelly,  105. 
Custard,  115. 

a  savory  breakfast,  206. 
chicken,  202. 
cup,  116. 
egg,  205. 
strawberry,  213. 

Dainty  serving  of  meals,  122. 
Dates  aperient,  101. 

highly  nutritious,  101. 
with  cream,  214. 
Decker,  Dr.,  "  Hygeia"  bottles  de- 
signed by,  49. 
Delicate  children,  195. 

appetite  of,  85. 
Dentition,  breakfasts  during  period 

of,  174. 
Dessert  should  be  nutritious,  13. 
Desserts    as   supplementary   foods, 
127. 
chief  constituents  of,  116. 
use  of  apples  in,  115. 
Dextrine  easily  digested,  56,  65. 
Diarrhoea,  castor  oil  in,  106. 
chalk  mixture  for,  135. 
farinaceous    foods    useful    in, 
186. 


Diastase  for  convalescents,  57. 
Diet,  convalescent,  185. 

faulty,  causes  anaemia,  186. 

for  one  week,  168. 

in  illness,  179,  183. 

light,  184. 

liquid,  184. 

preventive,  181. 

sample  of,  for  school-children, 

196. 
well-balanced,  11. 
while  nursing,  21. 
Dietaries  for  anaemic  children,  186. 

for  the  nursery,  152. 
Dietetics,  study  of,  necessary,  9. 
the  fundamentals  of,  10,  14. 
value  of,  in  digestive  disease, 
10. 
Digestion,  duration  of,  for  different 
meats,  77. 
forced,  179. 
fruits  aid,  97. 
physiology  of,  180. 
Dining-room  appointments,  123. 
Dinner,  a  sample  diet  for,  197. 

menus   for,    in    summer,   126, 
172. 
Diphtheria,  abundant  nourishment 

necessary  in,  186. 
Disease  due  to  errors  in  diet,  17. 
influence  of,  on  nursing,  21. 
relation  of,  to  hygiene  and  diet, 
14. 
Disks,  Dr.  Seibert's,  45. 
Dislikes  of  patients,  182. 
Disorder,  gastric,  82. 
Diuretic,  asparagus  strongly  recom- 
mended as  a,  92. 
Drink,  juices  of  fruits  recommended 

for,  98,  100. 
Drinking  glasses,  140. 
Dukes,  Dr.,  on  food  required  for 
school  period,  19X. 


INDEX. 


227 


Dyspepsia    from    use    of    animal 
crackers,  64. 
hot  water  useful  in,  185. 

Eczema  in  relation  to  diet,  87. 
Egbert,  Dr.,  recipe  of,   for    barley 

water  with  white  of  egg,  221. 
Egg  custards  without  milk,  205. 
Eggs  a  complete  food,  177. 

Fonssagrives's  method  of  cook- 
ing, 184,  220. 
how  to  tell  if  fresh,  81. 
may  be  given  to  children  over 

twenty  months  old,  160. 
mulled,  220. 
poached,  206. 

proper  method  of  boiling,  81. 
Thompson's  method  of  cooking, 

81. 
when  to  use,  in  desserts,  116. 
white    of,   beaten    with    fruit 
juice,  105. 
of,  diluted  with  water  or 
milk    and    eaten    raw, 
easily      absorbed      and 
good    for    gastric    dis- 
orders, 82. 
Emotion,  influence  of,  on  nursing, 

21. 
Energy  of  food,  63. 
Essence  of  beef,  201. 
Excess  of  starch  in  food,  154. 
Exercise,    importance    of,    during 
nursing,  22. 


Fairchild's  peptogenic 'powder,  58, 
135. 
process  of  weaning,  31. 
Farina,  great  caution  necessary  in 
use  of,  58. 
gruel,  207. 
porridge,  209. 


Farinaceous  foods,  usefulness  of,  in 

diarrhoea,  186. 
Fat,  child's  need  of,  197. 
heat-giving,  142. 
importance  of,  141. 
ratio  of,  to  other  food,  11. 
Fats,  list  of,  178. 
Faulty  diet  causes  anaemia,  186. 

chlorosis,  192. 
Feeding  at  night,  25. 

Seibert's  graduated  tubes  for, 

52. 
the  science  of,  157. 
Feedings,   number  of,   in  twenty- 
four  hours,  25. 
Fever,  juice  of  a  sweet  orange  indi- 
cated in,  99. 
Figs,   aperient  nature  of;    highly 
nutritious,  101. 
before  breakfast  as  a  laxative, 

108. 
stewed,  101,  215. 
Filtering  of  milk,  41. 
Fire,  preparation  of,  for  broiling, 

76. 
Fish,  how  to  broil,  83. 

how  to  prepare ;  never  fry  for 

nursery,  82. 
nutritive   value   of,    compared 

with  meat,  82. 
white-fleshed,  only  to  be  used, 
82. 
Flatulence  from  use  of  sweets,  114. 
Flour,  how  to  buy,  64. 
Fonssagrives,  Dr.,  on  cod-liver  oil, 
143. 
on  cooking  eggs,  184. 
on  nursing  instinct,  179. 
on  preventive  diet,  180. 
recipe    of,    for    mulled    eggs, 
220. 
Foods,    adaptation  of,  to   different 
conditions,  10. 


228 


INDEX. 


Foods,  combining  of,  16. 
complete,  177. 

constituents  of  various,  178. 
energy  of  different,  63. 
forbidden,  176. 
in  illness,  186. 

quantity   and   quality  of,    re- 
quired, 10. 
suitable  for  school  period,  190. 
the  four  great  classes  of,  176. 
to  prevent  disease,  14. 
Forbidden  foods,  176. 

abstinence  from,  180. 
alcohol  one  of  the,  199. 
Forced  digestion,  179. 
France,   nursing-bottles    forbidden 
in,  15. 
solid  food  for  infants  prohibited 
in,  15. 
Freeman's  Pasteurizer,  47. 
Fried  fish  not  allowable,  82. 
Fruit  sauce,  218. 

tapioca  pudding,  213, 
Fruits,  acids  of,  97. 

care  as  to  solid  parts  of;  to 
be    used     moderately ) 
best  time  to  give,  98. 
in  selection  of,  98. 
cooked,  for  supper,  98. 
for  breakfast,  100,  130,  148. 
fresh,  for  dinner ;  never  after 

dinner,  130. 
how  to  prepare,  100. 
in  second  nutritive  period,  159. 
juices  of,  for  corn  starch  and 
blanc-mange,  105. 
of,  perfectly  wholesome, 
98. 
laxative,  100,  109. 
nourish  the  brain,  97. 
over  or  under  ripe,  forbidden, 

126. 
stewed,  to  be  freely  used,  100. 


Fruits,  stewed,   supply  sugar   and 

salts,  149. 
their  chief  food  value  j  relation 

of,  to   the   nervous   system, 

97 
to  be  avoided  when  travelling, 

138. 
to  be  washed  in  boiled  water, 

103. 
unwashed,     carry     contagion, 

103. 
when  not  desirable,  105. 
Funnels,  Dr.  Seibert's,  45. 

Gastric  disorders,  raw  white  of  egg 

in,  82. 
Gee,  Dr.,  on  rachitis,  179.j 
Gelatin,  how  used,  117. 
with  tomatoes,  92. 
Gingerbread,  laxative  effect  of,  109. 

maple  molasses,  210. 
Girls,  constipation  of,  192. 
Glasses,  drinking,  140. 
Gluten  flour  for  bread,  59. 

needs  little  yeast,  60. 
{See  Macaroni,  Spaghetti, 
and  Vermicelli.) 
Graham  flour,  208. 

muffins,  recipe  for,  210, 
Grape  jelly,  105. 

juice,  laxative  property  of,  109. 
useful     when     travelling, 
139. 
Grapes,  juice  of,  as  a  drink,  100. 
how  to  prepare  juice  of,  104. 
useful  in   anaemia,  in  catarrh, 
and   in  convalescence,    103, 
186. 
Gravy,  roast  beef,  204. 
Gross,  Professor,  on  sick-room  diet, 

183. 
Growth,  first  and  second  years  of, 
27. 


INDEX. 


229 


Gruel,  arrowroot,  208. 

malted,  barley,  farina,  and  oat- 
meal, 207. 

Head  cold,  134. 
Health  of  mother,  133. 
Heat  from  fat,  142. 

kills  bacteria,  45. 
Height,  normal,  199. 
Henry,  Dr.,  recipe  of,  for  koumyss, 

221. 
Herd  milk  preferable,  41. 
Heredity,   when    to   be   combated, 

192. 
Hills,  Dr.,  on  plentiful  use  of  water, 

no. 

Holt,  Dr.,  on   children  who  "  ate 
everything,"  88. 
on  use  of  orange  juice,  etc., 
167. 
Home-made  bread,  59. 
Hominy,    cornmeal    in    place    of, 
148. 
preparation  of,  208. 
when  not  eaten  use  oat  jelly  as 
a  substitute,  148. 
Honey  a  laxative,  108. 
Hot  bread,  60. 
milk,  137. 
Hydrocarbons,  list  of,  178. 
"  Hygeia,"    Dr.   Decker's    bottles, 
49. 
sterilizer,  49. 
Hygiene,  14. 

Ice-cream,   Dr.  Yale's  opinion  of, 

113. 
Ice  water  to  be  avoided,  139. 
Illness,  diet  during,  1 79. 
Improper  nutriment,  19. 
Indigestion,  sudden,  136. 
Infected  milk,  36. 
Inflammation  of  intestines,  222. 


Inorganic  salts  in  food  needed  to 
form  tissue  and  to  prevent  rickets, 
86. 

Instinct  of  nursing,  179. 

Intestines,  action  of,  promoted  by 
fruit,  97. 

Irish  moss  tea,  217. 

Jacobi,  Dr.,  on  the  necessity  of  con- 
sulting books,  141. 
on  the  pleasures  of  the  table, 
113. 
Jam,  fruit,  117. 
rhubarb,  216. 

and  orange,  214. 
Jelly  of  different  fruits,  104. 
apple,  105,  215,  220. 
bread,  220. 
cherry,  214. 
oat,  209. 
orange  216. 
prune,  217. 
rhubarb,  215. 
sago,  216. 
savory,  203. 
Journeys,  higher  heat  required  fof 

preparing  milk  for,  45. 
Juice,  beef,  201. 

grape,  useful  in  anaemia,  186. 
Juices  of  fruits  as  drink,  98,  167, 

how  to  prepare,  100. 
Junket  made  with  essence  of  pepsin, 
115. 

Kidney  troubles,  186. 
Koumyss,  Dr.  Henry's  preparation 
of,  221. 

Laboratories  for  the  modification  of 

milk,  39,  40. 

mail   or   express   facilities  for 

transporting  milk  prepared 

according  to  methods  of,  30. 


20 


230 


INDEX. 


Lamb,  when  in  season,  78. 
Lanolin  for  head     nd  chest  colds, 

134. 
Laxatives  (study  lists  of  diet),  107. 
{See  Constipation.) 
adhesive  breads,  62. 
castor  oil,  rule  for  administra- 
tion of,  106. 
cream,  186. 

diflFerent  foods  acting  as,  107. 
fruits,  108,  109. 
Graham  crackers,  64. 
honey,  108. 
massage,  regular  stools,  and  use 

of  water  as,  107,  111. 
onions,  89. 
Liberal    and  nourishing    diet    re- 
quired in  bronchitis,  186. 
Light  diet,  what  it  is,  1 84. 
Likes  of  patients  as  to  food,  182. 
Lime  water,  recipe  for,  219. 

when  to  add  to  milk,  46. 
Liquid  diet,  its  usual  acceptation, 
183. 

Mail,  use  of,  for  transmitting  labo- 
ratory food  and  physician's  ad- 
vice, 30. 
Malnutrition  after  puberty,  192. 
Malted  gruels,  206. 

milk,  lack  of  fat  in,  32. 
Maple  molasses,  210. 
Marshmallow  drops,  218. 
Massage  for  constipation,  107. 
Meals,  dainty  serving  of,  122. 
Meat,  beans  take  the  place  of,  91. 

beef  most  nutritious,  75. 

heat  required  for  boiling,  78. 

how  to   cook,  for  soup,   broil, 
boil,  or  roast,  74. 

powder,  204. 

relative  nutritive  value  of,  75. 

selection  of,  75, 


Meat  to  be  given  only  after  thirty 

months,  160. 
Mellin's  food  with  cool  milk  for  sup- 
per, 131. 
Menstruation  in  relation  to  nursing, 

26. 
Menus,     alternating,     for     second 
period,  163. 
dinner,    after    thirty   months, 
167. 
in  summer,  125. 
for  second  period,  161. 
for  supper,  129. 
fruit,  for*  breakfast  when  fat 
and  meat  are  given  for  din- 
ner, 99. 
in  winter,  150. 

one   week's   sample,    for  five- 
year-olds,  168, 
principles  of,  152. 
the  safest  rule  as  regards,  153. 
use  broths  with  fish,  82. 
Microbes,  36. 

Milk  a  complete  food,  177. 
analysis  of  mother's,  23. 
apparatus   required    for   home 

modification  of,  40. 
broth,  hot,  69. 

carelessness  in  handling,  36-38. 
chicken,  72. 

condensed,  lacks  fat,  32. 
five  general  rules  as  to  feeding, 

54. 
jelly,  118. 
laboratories,  15. 
modification  of,  27. 
powder,  58,  135. 
puddings,  116. 
purity  of,  45. 
rice,  220. 
soup,  71. 

to  be  freely  given,  197. 
varieties  of  human,  23. 


INDEX. 


231 


Milk,  when  away  from  home  to  be 

given  steaming  hot,  137. 
Mineral    salts,    importance    of,    in 

forming  bone,  86. 
Mixed  diet,  salts  not  to  be  forgotten 

in,  87. 
Molasses  a  laxative,  108. 

maple,  gingerbread,  210. 
Morning  bottle,  162. 
Moss,  Irish,  tea,  217. 
Mother,  duty  of  a,  in  selection  of 
food,  12. 
of  a,  to  keep  v^ell,  133. 
Mould,  rhubarb,  216. 
Muffins,  cream,  209. 

Graham  and  cornmeal,  210. 
whole-meal,  for  breakfast,  449. 
Mulled  egg,  220. 

Mush,   cornmeal,  for   chilly  days, 
148. 
how  to  prepare,  208. 
Mutton  broth,  202. 
tea,  201. 
when  in  season,  78. 

Naps,  Dr.  Adams's  opinion  of,  162. 
Neglect,  when  wholesome,  134. 
Nervous  children,  a  hearty  break- 
fast beneficial  to,  122. 
nourished  by  fruit,  97. 
value  of  fat  food  for,  142. 
Nibbling  to  be  forbidden,  193. 
Night  feeding,  25,  163,  195. 
Nipples  for  bottles,  advantages  of 
the  seamless  rubber,  49,  136. 
use  of  shields  and  bathing  in 
small  or  depressed,  26. 
Nitrogenous  foods,  potato,  etc.,  to 

be  eaten  with,  95. 
Normal  development,  141. 

height  and  weight,  199. 
Nourishing    and    liberal    diet  re- 
quired in  bronchitis,  186. 


Nursing,   forbidden    during    preg- 
nancy, 27. 
ideal  conditions  for,  20. 
importance   of   daily    exercise 

while,  22. 
in    relation   to    menstruation, 

26. 
influence  of  disease  on,  21. 

of  emotion  on,  21. 
instinct  and  art  in,  179. 
proper  diet  for  mothers  while, 
21. 
intervals  for,  24,  25. 
results  of  too  frequent,  25. 
should  begin  early,  24. 
to  be  continued  so  long  as  child 

gains  in  weight,  27. 
what  to  do  in  cases  of  delayed, 

24. 
when  too  frequent,  25. 
Nutrients  in  different  foods,  63. 
Nutriment,  proper  and  improper, 

19. 
Nutrition,  best  evidence  of,  26. 
Nutritive  period,  first  and  second, 
157. 
third,  159. 

Oatmeal  displaced  by  rice  in  sum- 
mer, 95. 
gruel,  207. 
heat-giving ;  to  be  used  in  cool 

weather,  148. 
jelly,  121,  209. 
porridge,  208. 

the  usual  cereal  to  begin  with, 
58. 
Oil,  castor,  106, 

olive,  97,  107,  144. 
when  laxative,  109. 
Olive  oil  a  valuable  nutrient  after 
second  dentition,  97. 
with  salads,  144. 


232 


INDEX. 


Omelet,  94. 

{See  Corn.) 
One  week's  diet,  sample  of,  168. 
Onions  require  sweet  dessert,  89. 
slightly  laxative,  89. 
stewed,  raw  juice  of,  or  grated, 

for  omelets,  127. 
stimulate  digestion,  89. 
Orange  jam,  214. 
jelly,  105,  216. 

juice  of,  allowable  after  fifteenth 
month,  167. 
of,  for  feverish  conditions, 
99. 
syrup,  219. 
Overfeeding,  how  detected,  121. 
in  typhoid  fever,  186. 
wastes  energy,  11. 
Oyster  broth,  203. 
Oysters,  how  to  keep,  83. 
in  milk  soup,  83. 
use  of  juice  and  soft  parts  of, 

83. 
when  to  be  eaten,  83. 

Pale  face,  reason  for,  154. 
Pan,  solid,  for  broiling,  77. 
Parry,  Dr.,  on  rachitics,  179. 
Parsley   not   to    be  minced   when 

used  for  seasoning,  68. 
Partridge,  broiled,  83. 
Pasteurizer,  the  Freeman,  47. 
Patients,  likes  and  dislikes  of,  182. 
Pavey,  Dr.,  recipe  of,  for  rice  water, 

219. 
Peaches  may  be  used  from  eighteen 
months  up,  103. 
stewed,  100. 
Pears  not  to  be  given  for  first  five 

years,  103. 
Peas,  when  and  how  to  use ;  how  to 

cook ;  take  the  place  of  meat ; 

danger  of  non-assimilation,  91. 


Pepsin  in  junket,  115. 
Peptogenic    powder     (Fairchild's), 

58, 135. 
Pheasant,  broiled,  83. 
Phosphates,    foods   rich   in,   to  be 
given  to  the  expectant  mother,  87. 
Physician  should  be  consulted  and 

his  advice  followed  strictly,  31. 
Physiology  of  digestion,  180. 
Pineapple  jelly,  105. 
Pineapples,  juice  of,  as  drink  or 

dessert,  100. 
Poached  eggs,  206. 
Poisoning,  Dr.  Walker's  directions 
in  cases  of,  187. 
antidotes  for,  188. 
Porridge,  farina,  209. 

oatmeal  and  wheat,  208. 
Potash,  greater   abundance  of,  in 
cow's  milk  than  in  mother's  ; 
therefore  the  former  needs 
salt,  86. 
in  baked  potatoes,  95. 
Potato,  baked,  in  breakfast  menu, 
148. 
soup,  203. 
Potatoes  as  a  cause  of  child's  crav- 
ing for  salt,  85. 
baked,  preferred ;  easy  to  digest 
and  potash  not  lost,  95,  124. 
care  to  be  exercised  in  selec- 
tion of,  95. 
how  to  mash,  96. 
should  be  eaten  with  nitroge- 
nous food,  95. 
supply  starch  and  salts,  95. 
use  and  abuse  of,  85,  155. 
with  gravy,  95. 
Powder,  meat,  204. 

peptogenic,  31,  58,  135. 
Pregnancy,  nursing  not  compatible 

with,  27. 
Prescription  for  milk,  39. 


INDEX. 


233 


Preventive  diet,  181. 

Proper  nutriment,  nature  as  a  guide 

in  selection  of,  19. 
Proprietary  fooda  failures,  33. 
unnecessary,  31. 
vary  greatly,  34. 
Proteids  cause  colic,  23. 
in  constipation,  12. 
list  of,  176. 
ratio  of,  11. 

reduced   in   human    milk    by 
exercise,  22. 
Prune  jelly,  105,  217. 
Prunes  as  laxatives,  108. 

stewed,  100. 
Puberty,  diet  of  girls  at  period  of, 
198. 
nutritive  food  necessary  at  time 
of,  192. 
Pudding,  apple,  212. 
bread,  212. 

corn,  94.  * 

fruit  tapioca,  213. 
snow,  212. 

with  or  without  eggs,  211. 
Pump,  breast-,  26. 
Puree  of  onions,  89. 

vegetable,  for  summer,  126. 

Rachitis,  bad  diet  a  cause  of,  179. 
Eaisins  rich  in   sugar   and   easily 

digested,  103. 
Rapid  growth,  195. 
Raspberries,  juice  of,  as  a  drink, 

100. 
Raspberry  blanc-mange,  214. 

jelly,  105. 
Raw  apples  scraped,  100. 
Recipe  for  home-made  bread,  61. 
Recipes,  list  of,  200. 
Refrigerator  milk,  137. 
Regimen,  faulty,  129. 
Regulation  of  diet  in  disease,  181. 


Rhubarb  jam,  214,  216. 
jelly,  105,  215. 
mould,  216. 
Rice,  how  to  soak  and  cook,  94. 
may  be  given  freely  after  two 

and  one-half  years,  94. 
milk,  220. 
poor  in  fat,  salts,  and  albumen, 

94. 
pudding  with  or  without  eggs, 

211. 
starch  in,  easily  digested,  94. 
takes  the  place  of  oatmeal  in 

summer,  94,  124. 
use  of,  in  broths  at  first,  94. 
water,  219. 
Rickets,  Ufi"elmann  and  Smith  on 

cause  and  prevention  of,  86. 
Roast  beef,  gravy  of,  204. 

should  be  rare  and  lean,  79. 
time  required  to  cook,  79. 
meats,  74. 
Rotch,  Dr.,  on  bread  and  butter,  64. 
on  general  feeding,  117. 
on     the     different     nutritive 

periods,  19,  157. 
plan  of,  for  home  modification 

of  milk,  40. 
recipe  of,  for  oat  jelly,  209. 
Rouchard,    Dr.,     founder    of     the 
Society  for  the  Protection  of 
Children,  15. 
remarks  of,  on  mortality  among 
infants  in  France,  37. 
Rules  for  feeding,  54. 

for  preparation  of  menus,  153. 

Sago  jelly,  216. 

Salads    with    oil    allowable    after 

second  dentition,  97. 
Salt,  how  it  aids  digestion,  85, 

in  drinking  water,  85, 

in  fruits,  97,  149. 


20* 


234 


INDEX. 


Salt  in  potatoes,  95. 

necessary  with  potash  foods, — 
e.g.y  cow's  milk,  85. 
Salt-giving  foods,  178. 
Salts,  inorganic,  importance  of,  in 
forming  tissue,  86. 
use    of,    in    constipation, 
108. 
Sample  diet    for    school-children, 

196. 
Sauce,  apple,  93. 
fruit,  218. 
milk  and  flour,  80. 
Savory  jelly,  203. 

Scales,  use  of,  to  reveal  underfeed- 
ing, 199. 
School    period,    food    needs    salts 
during,  86. 
proper  diet  during,  190. 
Science  of  feeding,  157. 
Scraped  apple,  100. 

beef,  77. 
Scurvy  due  to  lack  of  vegetables, 
etc.,  87. 
use  of  lemon  juice  in,  186. 
Seamless  nipples,  49,  136. 
Second  dentition,  breakfast  menus 
suitable  for,  174. 
when  necessary  to  wait  for, 
97. 
summer,  120. 
Sedentary   children    require    more 

fish  and  broth  than  meat,  82. 
Seibert  system  of  filtering,  44. 

disks  and  funnels,  45. 
Semi- starvation  due  to  ignorance, 

199. 
Serving  of  meals,  dainty,  122. 
Shields,  nipple,  26. 
Skimming  of  soup,  67,  73,  154. 
Sleeplessness  a  sure  indication  of 
faulty  regimen  or  disease,   129. 
Smith,  Dr.,  on  rickets,  86, 


Snow,  apple,  215. 

pudding,  123,  212,  215. 
Solid  food  not  to  be  given  to  in- 
fants, 15. 
Soup,  how  to  skim,  73,  154. 

its  value  at  the  commencement 

of  a  meal,  73. 
method  of  making,  for  nursery 

use,  67,  183. 
milk,  71. 

needs  low  temperature,  74. 
potato,  203. 
should    not   be  the  principal 

feature  of  the  meal,  73. 
vessels  to  be  used  in  making, 
69. 
Spaghetti  a  substitute  for  meat,  96. 
care  requisite  in  selecting,  pre- 
paring, and  serving,  96. 
digests  easily  and  rapidly,  96. 
how  to  prepare,  127. 
Spinach  an  aperient,  88. 
how  to  boil,  71. 

preparation  of,  for  children,  88. 
Sponge-cake,  211. 
Sprouts,  Brussels,  93. 
Squabs,  stewed  or  broiled,  83. 
Starchy  foods,  how  to  cook,  56. 
list  of,  177. 

result  of  excess  of,  154. 
rice,  potatoes,  and  maca- 
roni  the    most    impor- 
tant, 94. 
Steak,  how  to  broil  a,  76. 
Steamer,  the  Arnold,  48. 
Sterilizer,  directions  for  use  of,  46. 
for  home  use,  40. 
the  Arnold,  48. 
the  Hygeia,  47. 
Stews,  apple,  100. 
celery,  89. 
meat,  78. 
Stimulate  a  delicate  appetite,  85. 


INDEX. 


235 


Stomach,  catarrh  of  the,  103,  111. 

size  of  the,  53. 
Stool,  appearance  of  the,  an   evi- 
dence of  nutrition,  26. 
Strawberries,  beef  broth  or  cocoa 
should  be  given  with  them, 
124. 
danger  of  decayed,  98. 
generally   wholesome   if  ripe, 

101. 
juice  of,  as  a  drink,  100. 
Strawberry  custard,  213. 
Study  hours  during  school  period, 

193. 
Substitute  food,  general  rules  re- 
lating to,  61. 
must  contain  cow's  milk, 

33. 
to  be  given  if  teething  is 
delayed,  27. 
Sugar  in  beets,  92. 
in  fruits,  97. 

list  of  foods  containing,  177. 
measure,  41. 
permissible    in  cold  weather, 

146. 
satisfactory  way  to  feed ;  ways 

to  be  avoided,  147. 
to  be  given  in  its  natural  state, 
148. 
Summer  menus,  126. 

for  breakfast  and  dinner, 
122,  124,  172. 
Supper,  a  sample  diet  for,  197. 

bread  and  milk  a  perfect  com- 
bination for,  151. 
dishes  suitable  for  both  winter 

and  summer,  132, 
two  safe  rules  in  regard  to,  128. 
various  menus  for,  129. 
Supplementary    foods.      {See   Des- 
serts.) 
Suppositories,  gluten,  134. 


Sweetbreads,  how  to  prepare,  79. 
Sweets,  acidity  and  flatulence  some- 
times caused  by,  114. 
to  be  avoided,  126. 
Syrup,  orange,  219. 

Tapioca,  fruit,  pudding,  213. 

valuable  as  a  summer  diet,  124. 
with  meat  jelly,  205. 
Tea,  beef  or  mutton,  201. 

Irish  moss,  217. 
Teeth,  second,  breakfast  menus  de- 
signed  to  promote  the 
growth  of,  174. 
when    necessary   to   wait 
for,  97. 
their  presence  allows  of  starchy 
foods,  28. 
Teething  a  cause  of  convulsions,  13. 
substitute  feeding  should  be  re- 
sorted to  if  delayed,  27. 
Tenement  life,  37. 
Thin  steak,  how  to  broil,  76. 
Thompson,    Dr.,    on    proper    diet 
during  school  period,  191. 
on  inherited  weakness,  191. 
on  rules  for  feeding,  156. 
Toast,  how  to  make,  66. 
Tomato  jelly  with  gelatin,  92. 
Tomatoes,    caution    necessary    if 
eaten  raw,  92. 
how  to  cook ;  do  not  use  with 

milk,  92. 
not  to  be  eaten  until  child  is 
five  years  old,  92. 
Top  milk  for  cream,  136. 
Travelling,  how  to  treat  milk  when, 
138. 
what  to  avoid  when,  138. 
with   young    children ;    outfit 
necessary,  134. 
Turkey,  give  only  roast  white  meat 
of,  84. 


236 


INDEX. 


Two-year-olds    may    eat    scraped 

apple,  99. 
Typhoid  fever,  danger  of  overfeed- 
ing in,  186. 
kinds    of    food    to    be 
given  in,  180. 

Uffelmann,  Dr.,  on  causes  of  rickets, 
86. 
views  of,  as  to  children's  diet, 
113. 
Underfeeding   revealed   by   scales, 

199. 
Unwashed  fruits,  diphtheria  carried 
by,  103. 

Vaseline  for  travelling  outfit,  134. 
Veal  broth,  recipe  for,  202. 
Vegetable  waters,  69,  71. 
Vegetables  in  soups,  68. 

to  be  avoided  when  travelling, 

138. 
when  scarce,  use  apple  sauce, 
93. 
Vermicelli  as  an  addition  to  broths, 
97. 
care  essential  in  selection  of,  97. 
digests  easily  and  rapidly,  97. 
Vomiting,  cause  of  an  infant's,  26. 

Walker,  Dr.,  on  poisoning,  187. 
Water,  apple,  217. 

barley,  221. 

boiled,  for  drinking,  139. 

for  constipation,  109. 

habit  of  drinking,  132. 

ice,  to  be  avoided,  139. 

in  infant  feeding,  13,  111,  120. 

lime,  219. 

rice,  219. 


Weaning,  Dr.  Rotch's  method  of, 
29. 
Fairchild  process  for,  31. 
imperative  in  pregnancy,  27. 
should  be  gradual^  29. 
time  limit  for,  28. 
Weighing  will  reveal  underfeeding, 

199. 
Weight,  rate  of  increase  of,  27. 
Wet-nurse,  diet  and  habit  of  life  of, 

not  to  be  changed,  28. 
Wheat   a   perfect   summer   cereal, 
122. 
for  bread,  59. 
need  not  be  abandoned  in  cool 

weather,  148. 
porridge,  208. 
Whey,  cider  and  wine,  221. 
White  meat  of  chicken,  etc.,  only 

to  be  used,  84. 
Wine  whey,  221. 

Winter  breakfast  should  give  heat, 
174. 
menus,  150. 

Yale,  Dr.,  on  ice-cream,  113. 

on  vegetables,  69. 
Yeast,  brewer's,  60. 

{See  Gluten.) 
Yeo,  Dr.,  on  bread,  62. 
on  school  life,  190. 
recipe  of,  for  bread  jelly,  220. 
,  of,  for  rice  milk,  220. 

Zwieback,    crumbed,    in    stew    or 

broth,  79. 
menu  for  four-year-olds,  79. 
more     easily     digested     than 

bread,  65. 
recipe  for,  65. 


THE   END. 


PATE  DUE     __, 


,nl     y 


Demco,  Inc.  38-293 


RJ206 
Bogan 


mi?, 

1896 


I 

-4 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


0043058175 


